The New Circle
by shadowglove
Summary: Chloe Sullivan had a normal-ish life before the circle and John Blackwell turned her life upside down and gave new meaning to the unexplained weirdness that goes on in Smallville. Now life's a witch, she's a part of a circle she's not too sure she wants to be bound to, and not only do they have to worry about Witch-Hunters, but unknowingly to them another circle is on the hunt too.
1. PART ONE: Setting the Stage

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle**

**A/N: Timeline-wise it is side-by-side with events in Secret Circle. It is around Season One of Smallville...with alterations of course. And Lex Luthor has not arrived in Smallville up until this point in the story.**

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Sitting alone under the tree in the high school courtyard, Chloe Sullivan was in a mood. Not only had her days turned into total nightmares, so had her nights, and that left her overworked and under-slept-a truly lethal combination.

Chime-like laughter carried towards her on the wind and the blonde frowned as her green gaze narrowed in on the source of the sound.

Lana Lang seemed to glide instead of walk, the wind blowing her perfect hair as she giggled at something one of her entourage had said.

It was disgusting.

Those four boys followed her around like some sort of harem. It'd been bad enough when it'd just been Whitney Fordman and Greg Arkin, but now that Chloe's ex bests Clark Kent and Pete Ross had joined it'd become unbearable.

What made things worse was that before they'd joined Lana's Drone's (as Chloe like to call them) both Clark and Pete had found the whole thing odd. Yet now they were a part of it.

It hurt to have lost them, both boys having been like brothers to her for so long. They'd been with her for every up and down in her life, had been shoulders to cry on when her mother had booked on her, and had been an endless source of encouragement when she'd decided to channel her energy into starting back up the defunct old high school newspaper: The Torch. She'd even managed to wrangle them into working for her at the Torch, but they'd left their jobs once they'd joined the Drones. They'd cut her off completely, and the sting was ever-fresh in her heart.

Noticing when Clark sensed her presence, Chloe stood and walked in the opposite direction.

"Chloe!" It wasn't Clark who called for her.

"Hey Van." The blonde turned and smiled at the handsome boy who serviced the Torch's computers whenever they acted up.

"Are we still on for tonight?" He asked, raising a dark eyebrow, light eyes twinkling in mischief.

The blonde nodded, smiling back up at him.

Given the fact that she could no longer depend on Clark and Pete to be her backup during her investigations, Chloe had had to come out of her shell somewhat and ask the gorgeous technician for his help. He'd surprised her by agreeing to join her in her "hunt for truth and justice" and had been her photographer of late. She was still somewhat awkward around him, and still found herself stammering sometimes, but he was quite nice once she gave him a chance. His father was in the army and protecting his country, and that made Van both worried and proud, things which he shared with her when they were investigating something for the Torch.

"Do you need me to bring the normal flashlights or the heavy duty ones?" Van asked, falling into stride with her as they walked away from where Lana and the Drones were watching them.

It annoyed Chloe, how they'd just _watch_ her sometimes.

It annoyed her how much it _unnerved_ her.

What the hell was up with that anyway?

Was it some sort of intimidation thing?

"The normal ones should be okay...then again...maybe you should bring the heavy duty ones just in case." Chloe made up her face, looking at her watch. "What time is your date with Dawn?"

"Don't remember." He chuckled, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Eight or nine."

"You should remember things like that, girls are particular when it comes to dates and times...Dawn Stiles especially so." Chloe rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't seem to care too much about that shit." He grumbled.

"And _that_ is because reporting is my life." She gave him a large, fake smile. "Other than the written word, I have no love life."

"It's something I don't get, you're not ugly, and once you get over the whole intimidation factor you're actually pretty cool." He replied.

"Intimidation factor?" The blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion at that.

"Yeah, well, you used to have Clark and Pete doing that to anyone who looked in your general direction...and even without them you're intimidating on your own." Van admitted with a sheepish smile. "I mean, you're tiny and all that, but there's something in the way you glare at people that says: I will cut you...and enjoy it."

Throwing her head back, Chloe laughed, never having known that about herself and enjoying it immensely. "Are you saying that I scare the boys around me?"

"Yeah, but don't tell them I told you." Van smirked back.

"I would never." She promised, still unable to keep the chuckles from emerging from her lips.

"On that note, Justin asked me to give this to you when I saw you." He reached into his army jacket and pulled out an envelope. "When are you going to put that poor dude out of his misery and give into him? He's actually brave enough to still be interested despite how much you scare him."

"Give that over." Rolling her eyes, Chloe snatched the envelope from him and frowned at it in confusion. "Wonder what it is."

"Opening it would solve the problem." Van smart-mouthed.

She slapped the envelope against his arm, lips a crooked grin.

"Do we meet up at the woods or do I pick you up?" Van wanted to know, gaze going to his watch.

"We'll meet up there. That way you can just go directly to pick up Dawn." Chloe decided. "I'll _try_ and make sure we're done by seven just in case."

"Why seven? I said it was eight or nine."

"You'd need to go home and bathe to get ready." Chloe raised an eyebrow.

Van snorted. "Yeah. Right." And then he was gone with a wave. "See ya later."

How in the world was this guy going out with ultra particular Dawn Stiles?

It had to be the gorgeous face and rock hard six pack.

"Lana!" Tina Greer, Lana's wannabe, hurried towards Lana, wearing the same damn outfit and hair in the exact style.

Chloe frowned as she looked behind her, having realized that the Queen Bee and Drones weren't as far behind her as she'd thought they were.

Shaking her head, she hurried her speed and went to her next class, which unfortunately for her was P.E. with the aforementioned. The class was a large one though, and as always they were divided into different groups. Lana and the cheerleaders were on their own, allowed their time to practice their cheers and moves, which Chloe thought was favoritism on the coach's part but she never commented on it.

The rest of them were divided into baseball teams, Chloe hating the whole pecking order of the captains picking those on their team. It only established a social pecking order in which the last picked were always deemed the omegas, the losers. She was usually around the middle of the pack, and she could deal with it, but she couldn't help but feel bad for those who were eternally chosen last. It was ridiculous though, to think that Greg was Whitney's first choice considering that some months ago Greg had been one of those who lived in the back of the pack. He'd been filled with acne, wore thick glasses, and was an all-round nerd.

Now he wore leather jackets, black, had glossy hair and apparently had started wearing contacts because she hadn't seen the glasses for a while now. His skin was also perfect...and he'd become somewhat of a "hot bad boy".

Apparently becoming Lana's Drone had done wonders for him.

Whitney Fordman had always been the King of Smallville High so Chloe really didn't see much of a change in him.

Clark and Pete though were much more confident as well, it was even in the way they walked. They were beginning to seem like strangers to her, and she resented it terribly. Not too long ago she'd envisioned the three of them as old people living in the same old person's home, chatting it up and being best friends like always.

And yet now...

Shaking her head, Chloe grabbed the bat and walked up to the base, glaring at the smirk Whitney Fordman sent her from the pitcher's field. She readied herself and sighed, watching as he readied and threw the ball...and it was at her face.

Chloe barely managed to throw herself out of the way before it hit her.

"Ball!" The umpire yelled behind her.

"Sorry about that." Whitney called over, his lips still in a smirk.

She didn't answer, returning to position and tightening her grip on the bat...and this time the ball was aimed for her stomach.

The blonde tripped and fell flat on her ass as she tried to avoid it.

Snickers and laughter rose from the students around them.

"Ball!" The umpire yelled.

It seemed more like attempted murder to Chloe, but she said nothing as Whitney chuckled and readied to throw the ball once more.

Oh, how she'd _love_ to remove that smirk from his face!

Whitney pitched the ball and this time it was true...Chloe drew back the bat and swung...none more shocked than her when she actually hit the ball...and it flew back to hit Whitney Fordman right in the nuts.

Down went the cocky blonde, crying out in agony.

The cheerleaders were crying out in horror, except for Lana, who indeed looked worried but her wide eyes were on Chloe, and there was a small hint of a smile on her ruby lips.

Greg was bursting out laughing like a hyena, not at all worried about his friend, who was still groaning in agony on the ground.

Pete leaned over Whitney, an expression of sympathy on his face.

Clark was watching Chloe, giving her an indescribable look.

She turned her back on him and raised her eyebrow at the umpire. "Do I still have to go around or is this game over?"

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Her dad had yet to realize that she wasn't friends with Clark and Pete anymore, god bless his oblivious soul.

Gabe Sullivan was a wonderful father who loved her and respected her need for independence. He was proud of her, had her pictures all over his office, and all of his colleagues swore that all he did at work was sing her praises. The man had every issue of the Torch she'd ever published and kept them in mint condition. He thought the sun revolved around her and that she could do nothing wrong. It was probably due to the fact that he lived at work that helped him keep such an angelic portrait of her in his mind, and she loved him for it. He tried to be there for her, tried to do the "womanly talks" he felt she needed, and was the best father in the world in her opinion.

And to be truthful she loved the fact that he was dedicated to his job and spent most of the day (and night) there.

That way he didn't know half the shit she got into.

"Don't worry dad, I'm going to spend the rest of the night watching George Clooney movies." Chloe promised, cradling the home phone between her cheek and neck, as she put on her combat boots. "Yeah, Clark and Pete are bringing the popcorn and chocolate. They swear I'm going to turn them gay." She stood and gazed at her reflection before reaching for lipgloss and putting it on. "I'll let them know that the guest rooms are always available for them should they wish to sleep over. I know daddy." She smiled. "I love you too." Hanging up, the blonde threw the home phone on the bed and grabbed her backpack, heading out of her room and down the stairs.

Grabbing her keys on the way out, Chloe locked the house and threw her bag into her car, sliding in and starting the engine. She drove off, eyes on the road and hand shuffling through her bag until she found her cell, searching Van's number and texting him letting him know that she was on her way, before throwing her phone onto her bag and paying full attention to the road, the radio having turned on with the engine.

There were some reports of strange lights being seen and strange noises being heard from a certain part of the forest and she was going to check it out. It could be nothing, or it could be some sort of drug deal, or if she was lucky it was something even better than a drug deal. Maybe there was a government experimentation going on or something. All she knew was that she'd been hearing rumors and she wanted to find out what in the world was going on in the woods-and she wanted photographic proof to back up her print.

But by the time she'd made it to the meet-up site she'd received a message that'd stated that Van had been grounded for something that was "so not his fault" and that meant she was on her own. Great. A part of her wanted to chicken out and go back home but the other part of her was stronger, and she reached in her bag and pulled out her camera, which thankfully had night-vision.

Her father was just _too_ awesome for words, honestly.

Locking her car and pulling on one of her backpack's straps, Chloe held the camera up, waiting for the night-vision to come up before smiling and proceeding forwards. She had extra batteries so she could splurge using it as a flash-light of sorts, making her way towards where the students who camped said there'd been disturbances.

"It better not be other students getting it on." She grumbled to herself, having experienced that let down far too many times during her career as a junior investigative journalist.

She continued to walk for the next thirty minutes, going deeper and deeper into the woods, while making sure to not get lost. The blonde saw various night creatures, especially owls, but other than that the woods were dead. Boringly so. Not even in a creepy way. In a way she was glad that Van wasn't here because she didn't want anyone else to see what a letdown this whole trip had been. She was about to turn around for forget about everything when something moving a bit in front of her caught her eye.

Narrowing her green orbs, Chloe gazed at the screen, making out the body of a man, probably in his thirties. He seemed alone in a clearing up ahead, but then almost instantly three more people emerged from the shadows and came towards him. They were talking too low for her to get what they were saying, but their body language proved that they were tense and on the alert. They kept looking around them as they talked, obviously not wanting anyone to know they were there.

This could be a drug deal.

Her night might not have been a total failure after-all!

Pressing the zoom button Chloe tried to get a better view of the people in the group but it was hard to distinguish them in the darkness and from this distance. To get anything that could be usable, both visually and audio, she'd have to get closer. That could prove tricky considering that those people were already on the alert, but there wasn't a situation that would intimidate Chloe Ann Sullivan into running away with her tail between her legs when there was a story in the making. So as she made her way slowly and carefully towards the group, she reminded herself that one day situations like these would be the difference between that beloved Pulitzer or not.

And dammit, she was gonna get that Pulitzer!

"...not dead."

Those were the first words she could pick up the group...who were wearing...hooded cloaks?

Green eyes narrowed as she crouched down, zooming in as much as her camera would let her, still not able to pierce through the darkness of the hoods which covered the faces.

"...impossible!"

"...signs..."

"...circle..."

What the hell were they talking about?

Chloe looked around her with the night vision.

Could she get any closer?

"Balcoin."

No, she couldn't get any closer without giving away her presence.

Crap!

"...ended..."

"...fire..."

"...boathouse..."

She hated only getting bits and pieces of what was being said...because the parts she _could_ get sounded hella interesting!

"...lineage..."

"...stars..."

"...child..."

"...ce Harbor..."

"..._here_..."

"_WHAT_?"

That's what she wanted to know.

What was going on?

And why was it that that "here" had caused the others to grow so agitated and worried?

"...bloodline..."

Seriously, what the hell were they talking about?

"...unstoppable..."

"...elders..."

Then as once the group separated, each going their own way, disappearing into the woods.

Chloe stayed where she was crouched, hidden, frowning into the darkness.

What the hell had she just witnessed?

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**TBC**


	2. A Confrontation and a Kiss

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle

A/N: Timeline-wise it is side-by-side with events in Secret Circle. It is around Season One of Smallville...with alterations of course. And Lex Luthor has not arrived in Smallville up until this point in the story.

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Lana Lang now worked in the Beanery, which meant that the Drones hung out there as well, and Chloe could no longer have coffee in peace.

Still, she wouldn't allow them to take her coffee and love of it from her, so she refused to stop going there. It was why she found herself at the Beanery drinking coffee and going over the footage of the woods with her earphones on, wondering if she could hear what they were saying better. Sadly there were too many night birds calling and crickets singing and breeze...breezing...and it made full understanding of what the robed people had been saying impossible. She had to close her eyes and listen intently over and over again to even get the fact that they'd said "firstborn" sometime during the conversation, which she hadn't picked up while they'd been talking.

They seemed scared, and when weird, creepy robed people congregating in dark woods were scared...well...Chloe felt it was worth being wary as well.

"Hey!" A peppy voice announced to her right.

Chloe closed her eyes tighter as she tried to listen to the recording once more.

"Uh, Chloe?"

Sighing, realizing that she was being spoken to, Chloe turned the screen of her camera away and pulled out an earphone to look up at a smiling Lana Lang. "Hey."

Lana didn't seem at all deterred by the distinct lack of enthusiasm in Chloe's greeting. "My shift's ending in a couple of minutes and we were wondering if you'd like to come and sit at our table. You look really lonely here by yourself."

Oh, wow, were they shoving her loneliness in her face now?

Had it spiraled to that degree?

Plastering a fake smile on her face, Chloe shook her head, refusing to let this psychological bullying work on her. "Thanks, but I'm busy working so I'm really not lonely."

"Oh." Lana's smile melted before returning brightly. "What'cha working on? The newest front page news of the Torch?"

What did she have to do to be left _alone_?

"Something like that." She nodded, fake smile still on her face. "So, thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested." Plopping the earphones back in her ears, hearing someone whisper to someone else about how much of a bitch she'd just been to Lana, Chloe hardened herself and put the camera to the side, pulling out her laptop from her bag.

Bringing up Google, she typed in "Balcoin", which was the only word she really hadn't recognized.

Apparently, Google didn't know what a "Balcoin" was either...since for the first time _ever_ her search brought up 0 results.

Annoyed and somewhat intimidated by the realization that Google wasn't all-knowing, Chloe typed in "Smallville" "hooded cloak" "woods" and "secret meetings". The first couple of sites were promoting Smallville, the next was promoting costumes for role players, and then she found an article from the Smallville Ledger. It was dated way back when, and was written by a Gregory Jenkins, talking about strange happenings in the town. There were said to be strangers who congregated in the woods, wearing hooded masks, and apparently while they creeped the bejeezus out of the settlers no one dared try to apprehend them or at least find out who they were and what they were doing.

There were also rumors of witchcraft going on in the town, and many people were saying that they were the witches who were meeting in the woods. People had been cited as seeing things that could only be "works of the devil" and distrust was brewing in the multitude, causing people to fear that Smallville would become the "new" Salem.

Obviously nothing had come of this since there were no reports of witch burnings (or hangings) in Smallville, and in the end this was of no use to her, although quite fascinating.

She'd have to look into this more when she had more time to herself.

As it was, it was definitely going onto her Wall of Weird.

Clearing her Google search, Chloe typed in "Smallville", "Balcoin", "lineage" and "bloodline", all words which had stuck to her during the hissed conversation between the group.

She pressed "enter".

Her computer crashed.

It friggin _crashed_!

Eyes wide in shock, Chloe just stared at it in horror.

What the _hell_?

A message popped up on her screen telling her that she'd just downloaded a mega-virus that'd just destroyed her whole system.

What.

The.

_HELL_?

Closing her computer screen, Chloe put the laptop away, her shock probably the only thing keeping her from screaming in frustration at this unexpected grief.

Seriously.

What the _hell_ was a Balcoin that even her friggin _computer_ was scared of it?

"You know, Lana was being nice, you didn't have to be such a bitch to her." Whitney Fordman announced as he slid into the seat opposite hers, eyebrow raised.

Oh dear god.

_Seriously_?

She couldn't deal with this right now!

"Walk away Fordman." She had to figure out how exactly to ask her father for a new computer when this one had been last year's birthday present.

"What's wrong with you?" He kept pushing, eyeing her oddly. "There's a _reason_ why Kent and Ross stopped being your friends you know. Ever wondered if it was because of your rotten attitude?"

Closing the screen of her camera, Chloe threw down enough money to cover her bill and grabbed her bag, sliding out of the seat. She was barely keeping onto her angry tears and there was no way that she was going to let an _asshole_ like Whitney Fordman see them. The blonde tore out of the Beanery and walked to the dark back parking lot, storming towards her car.

"Hey! I wasn't finished with you!" Whitney yelled from behind her, footsteps rapid as he caught up with her under the flickering light of a dim overhead light post, grabbing her arm and swinging her around to face him. "I think you owe Lana an apology."

"I think _you_ need another blow to the _nuts_." She snapped, hating the fact that she could feel her control over her emotions slipping as she tugged against him in vain. "Let me go!"

"No." He replied, giving her a shake. "I'm sick and tired of this."

"So am I!" She snapped, trying to kick at his shin but he must have seen it coming because Whitney twirled her around and held her tightly against him with her back to his chest, his hands around her keeping her hands pinned to her own chest.

"Getting angry yet?" He whispered in her ear.

She snarled. "Let me go!"

"That's _enough_ Whitney!" Clark yelled as he circled around the back of the Beanery, coming towards him. "It's just _bullying_ now! Leave her alone!"

"I'm doing what no one else has the _balls_ to do, Kent." Whitney gave her a yank, hurting her slightly. "Unless you forgot, this was supposed to be _your_ job but you chickened out of it."

"Look man, we'll figure out how to do it another way." Clark was holding his arm out towards Whitney as he slowly came towards them. "Just let go of her. This isn't how things are supposed to go."

"_Fine_." Whitney grumbled. "One last try and then I _give up_."

Chloe didn't understand what the _hell_ they were talking about, and she was _far_ from prepared to be spun around in Whitney's arms and then for his lips to press against hers in a deep kiss.

Her eyes widened as shock filled her system, adrenaline racing through her body as his lips moved against hers.

Lana, Pete and Greg arrived and stopped, eyes wide at what they were seeing.

Chloe squeaked into the kiss and slapped at Whitney's chest, struggling to get away.

He tightened his hold against her body, pressing her harder against him...and this was the closest she'd ever been to another man...as he deepened the kiss.

The lights in the parking lot began to flicker viciously before exploding everywhere in a shower of electricity.

One of Whitney's hands lowered to her lower back, his fingers flexing and contracting before he pulled her closer, and the other raising to slip into her hair.

Something was filling her body, and Chloe found herself grabbing onto Whitney's shirt to keep from collapsing at the savageness of the _thing_ inside of her. Her eyes fluttered closed and even behind closed eyelids she could see _something_ sparking inside of her before it finally _exploded_.

A wave of something surged forth from within her, and the buildings around them went black.

Heat filled her, she felt like she was on fire, and with a ragged cry she pushed away from Whitney, nearly falling to the ground as she found her legs wobbly.

Shock had his eyes wide as he stared at her, one hand going to his lips.

"_Chloe_?" Clark squeaked, eyes wide, face red.

Chloe looked at him...passed him at the shocked looks on Pete, Lana and Greg's faces (although Greg seemed more amused than surprised)...and then back to Whitney...who was still brushing his thumb against his lips.

She did the only thing that seemed sensible at the time.

She punched him.

Hard.

"The _fuck_?" Whitney yelped, cradling his bruised jaw. "Why did you do that for?"

Chloe cried, bent over, shaking her throbbing fist. "Your face is made out of _steel_!"

"Am I the only one who saw that coming?" Greg wanted to know, leaning against the wall, smirking in amusement.

"The kiss or the punch?" Pete whispered, eyes still wide.

Lana groaned, bringing a hand to her face as she sighed. "You went too far Whitney."

"Getting her angry was _not_ working." Whitney defended, wincing, pressing his hand to his bruised jaw.

"Are you okay?" Clark came up to Chloe, who was still shaking her throbbing hand. "We might need to get you some ice for that."

"Is anyone worried about _me_?" Whitney wanted to know.

"Not really." Greg replied with a smirk.

"Bite me, Arkin." Whitney snapped at him.

"You are all kinds of frisky tonight, aren't you Fordman?" Greg snickered.

Whitney flipped him off.

"Don't _touch_ me." Chloe snapped at Clark, jerking away from him, taking out her anger and pain on him.

Hurt and sadness filled Clark's face as he looked at her yet respected her need for distance.

"Please, don't be mad at Clark and Pete," Lana came towards, stopping next to Clark and placing her hand on his shoulder. "The only reason things have been the way they have is because Aunt Nell said you had to find out when yours were awaken, and we all knew that with your intrepid reporter instincts you'd figure out before time and you'd probably freak out and that would make you bury them so deep they probably would never awaken."

Chloe looked at the cheerleader in utter confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't realize it Chlo?" Pete asked, coming closer, shocked.

"Realize _what_?" She cradled her fist to her chest, looking between them in wary confusion.

"This-all this-was _your_ doing." Pete threw his hands out around him...as if that was supposed to mean something.

"I have to admit it, I'm jealous." Greg announced as he finally joined them, folding his arms over his chest. "This was probably the strongest awakening so far...the disgust you felt for Fordman's kiss must have been _intense_."

"Go jump off a bridge." Whitney grumbled.

"Been there. Done that." Greg grinned, obviously enjoying this whole situation way too much.

And while seeing people make fun of Whitney Fordman would usually be a good night for her, Chloe's computer was dead, her hand probably broken, and her patience running thin.

Also, Whitney Fordman had kissed her.

She was about to freak out.

"_What_ is all my doing?" Chloe was glad for the moonlight, because it let her see the shock on their faces.

"The blackout?" Lana tried harder. "When each of us "awoke" we had a surge ripple out of us which affected our surroundings somehow. Yours knocked out the electricity in probably the whole block."

They all stared at the blonde, expectantly.

"Oh god." Chloe suddenly realized what was going on here. "You're all on drugs."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Whitney rolled his eyes, palming his face with a sigh.

"Chloe, we've all gone through denial about this, but you've been awoken now and we're here for you." Lana gave her a kind smile. "We're family now."

Family?

Were they _serious_?

"Look, I just want to go home and soak my hand in a bucket of ice water, okay?" Chloe started backing away towards her car.

"You realize she _really_ thinks we're all high right now, right?" Greg asked no one in particular, not at all insulted, seeming very much amused with how this was going.

"Chlo..." Pete took a step towards her. "Let us explain things to you."

"Fine." She leaned with her back against the car, keeping them all in her sight at all times. "According to you what exactly happened when Whitney slobbered all over me-."

"Hey!" Whitney glared at her.

"-and why exactly have _all_ of you had it happen to you?" She raised an eyebrow at them. "Why would you be my family?"

Lana took in a deep breath and then let it out, preparing herself. "It's because we're all connected."

"By what?" Chloe prompted.

"Well, you see, it goes _really_ far back..." Lana began.

Greg groaned, palming his face. "We're _witches_."

Lana sent him a frown. "We agreed we'd ease her into this!"

"She's about to bolt any second now." Greg pointed out. "It's best that she gets the quick and dirty version before she leaves in the middle of your history lesson."

"He's got a point." Pete admitted. "When you told _me_ I was pretty much zoned out throughout most of it. The "you're a witch" part though? That caught my attention."

Okay, so this was a cultic thing.

She wanted _nothing_ to do with it.

"Look, I won't tell anyone about your little...coven..." Chloe reached for her keys and unlocked her car door. "But I really need to go home before my father arrives and finds out I'm out. So...thanks for the offer...I think...but I'm not interested in any initiations or anything. But thanks anyway."

Sliding into her car, Chloe locked the door immediately and started the engine...getting the _hell_ out of there.

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Her bath was longer and the water hotter than usual as Chloe tried to clean herself of all the anger, resentment, confusion, and reluctant arousal. It burned her that Whitney's kiss had felt _really_ good. It burned her that Lana and the Drones were suddenly associating with her. It burned her that they wanted her to become yet another Drone. It burned her that they thought she was stupid enough to have lived for sixteen years as a witch and not having known of it herself.

It burned her that a part of her wanted to believe it...them.

The lure of having Clark and Pete back was so tempting...and dammit, who would have thought that annoying quarterback was actually a _really_ good kisser on top of everything else?

Finally she emerged from the shower and pulled on her underwear and huge, old t-shirt. She gazed at her reflection in the fog-covered mirror, telling herself to be strong, to not give into cultic brainwashing.

Everyone wanted to believe they were special.

Didn't mean they were.

Shaking her head at her sad reflection, Chloe emerged from the bathroom...and nearly screamed when she realized there was someone in her room. It was only the fact that she recognized that large, looming figure that kept her from screaming rape and murder.

"_Clark_?"

He turned at the sound of her voice, sheepish. "Uhm, hi."

"What are you doing here?" She frowned as she stormed into her room. "And how did you get in? I made sure this place was locked tighter than Fort Knox when I came back."

"I noticed." He nodded, unable to look at her, rubbing the back of his head. "I, uhh..." he cleared his throat, clearly awkward. "Pete's planning on ambushing you at school tomorrow to talk, and Lana thinks we should all give you time to adjust...but I need to talk to you now before things become worse between us."

"Why?" She folded her arms over her chest. "You haven't felt that lately."

He flinched. "I _have_."

"Yeah, I can see that." She went to her bed and sat down on it, shaking her head.

"I really _have_. Chloe, you're my best friend. I've missed you _so much_." Clark went to sit down next to her, a little uneasy at being on the bed with her and yet obviously quite determined. "Nell said that we couldn't let those who weren't part of the circle yet know, it's imperative that our powers remain secret. Smallville nearly became another Burning Town, and even though people these days are more understanding when it comes to witchcraft it's safer for us to keep our craft secret. There's people out there who still hunt witches, the real ones."

Chloe frowned as she turned towards him, sitting Indian Style. "Witch Hunters?"

"Yeah." Clark nodded. "They're the ones who were behind the Salem burnings, and they're still out there today."

"You can't really expect me to believe this..."

"Chloe, you believe in Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster and the Jersey Devil and..."

"Not _witches_." She made a face, reaching up to pull a blonde strand of hair out of her face.

Clark's gaze went to her hand. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little, but not much anymore." Chloe shrugged, gazing at the bruised knuckles.

Clark took in a deep breath before reaching out his hands palms up.

Chloe's eyes widened and she could feel her cheeks burning slightly as she looked at the hands in question before finally resting her own in them.

Clark's hands closed over hers, his gaze on them. "You won't believe me until you see magic, right?"

"That would be a start..." she agreed, eyeing him warily.

"Okay, I want you to pick something in this room..anything."

"Okay...I'll play." Chloe looked around her room before deciding. "The string of butterflies dad gave me."

Clark's gaze went to the string of colorful butterflies spiraling down from the ceiling next to Chloe's desktop computer. "Perfect." He grinned before turning his baby blues on her. "Now I want you to close your eyes and repeat after me. 'Fabric wings, take flight'."

"Fabric wings take flight?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Are you serious? No latin? No rhymes? Just...that?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"_Fine_." Closing her eyes, Chloe felt somewhat of a fool as she took in a breath before beginning. "Fabric wings, take flight."

Clark joined in with her on the second one.

"Fabric wings, take flight."

Something began to spark within her.

"Fabric wings, take flight."

It was getting hotter.

"Fabric wings, take flight."

A shiver ran down her spine.

"Fabric wings, take flight."

She was just about to ask him how much longer when Clark squeezed her hands.

"Chloe, look."

Slowly opening her eyes, Chloe didn't see anything at first, and then she followed Clark's gaze and a gasp escaped her lips and green orbs widened.

The butterflies were gone from her desk.

Not only that, but they'd somehow managed to separate from each other on the strings and were flying all around them, their movements so realistic it was had to believe that they weren't alive.

Clark grinned brightly, eyeing them with almost the same fascination she did.

Chloe turned to Clark and giggled, unable to believe it.

Clark turned towards her and smiled, his thumbs caressing her hands in his.

That shiver rolled down her spine once more, the heat blooming in her stomach, darkening the color in her cheeks.

Baby blues and sea green were unable to look away.

That connection...that _feeling_...she'd always had with Clark, deepened.

Clark began to lean forwards, his grip on her hands changing, fingers threading through hers.

Chloe's heart raced, eyes widening.

Suddenly a phone rang, loud, jarring them and causing them to pull their hands back.

The butterflies fell lifelessly to the ground all around them.

Clark cleared his throat and reaching into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Hey dad..." he flinched. "Yeah, I'll be there." Hanging up Clark stood. "See you tomorrow in school?"

Chloe nodded, watching him climb out of her bedroom window...which must have been the way he'd come in to begin with.

Only when she remembered she was on the second story and there weren't any trees close to her window did she get up and race to her window-to find him no where in sight.

Taking in a deep breath Chloe let it out slowly before turning her back on the window.

A witch.

Another deep breath.

A _witch_.

Gulping, Chloe's gaze went to the fallen butterflies, a sliver of a doubt still playing in the corner of her mind.

"Fabric wings, take flight."

The colorful butterflies rose as if on a gentle breeze, their wings flapping gracefully as they returned to the air, flying around her bed.

"Oh boy." She tightened her grip on the windowsill behind her. "Oh. Boy."

Turning around quickly, she closed the curtains and hurried to bed, going under the covers and leaving the light on as she stared up at the butterflies dancing gracefully on the nonexistent wind above her.

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**TBC**


	3. Meeting John Blackwell

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle**

**A/N: Timeline-wise it is side-by-side with events in Secret Circle. It is around Season One of Smallville...with alterations of course. And Lex Luthor has not arrived in Smallville up until this point in the story.**

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She was a witch.

Damn.

This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

The blonde had spent breakfast playing pretend with her father, acting as if her whole world hadn't violently changed. She'd told him about the movies she _hadn't_ watched with Pete and Clark, and the comments her ex bests _hadn't_ made. He was just so happy that she had friends she could count on and laughed at all the funny little incidents she'd made up that she felt that she wasn't doing wrong lying to him. Her father had enough things to worry about without adding teenaged witchcraft problems to it...because if this was somehow inherited she doubted that it was from her father's side. If he had magic she couldn't see him working so hard, dedicating himself to Luthorcorp and its running. She couldn't see someone with power never doing something for himself, hoped at least that that was the case. Because if it wasn't, and she got her witchy ways from him, Gabe Sullivan was a much better person than she was.

"You know what was playing the other night?" She stirred her spoon in her cereal. "The Craft."

"That the one with snakes and the crazy goth girl?" He asked, looking up from his newspaper with a smile.

She nodded. "The very one."

"We haven't watched that one in a while." He chuckled, shaking his head as his gaze returned to the paper.

"I always wish I was a witch so I could do that thing they did where they changed how they looked." Chloe tried for innocence, fishing for some clue as to whether her father knew about more than he was letting on or if he was just an innocent in the whole matter.

He snorted. "Now why would you want that? You're perfect just the way you are. You shouldn't want to change a thing."

It was reasons like like one that made her love him so much.

"Oh _daddy_." Chloe got up and hugged him, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he chuckled and hugged her back. "How am I ever gonna find a man who loves me as unconditionally as you, huh? You're raising me for utter disillusionment and heartbreak."

"Pssft." He shook his head. "There's someone out there for everyone honey. You just haven't met the right man for you yet." He gave her a little pat. "And I'm relieved for it. Not ready to let go of you yet."

"I love you daddy." Chloe pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

"I love you too darling." He replied in his sweet way. "But you should be getting to school now, shouldn't you?"

"Break up a tender moment between father and daughter why don't you?" Chloe scoffed with laughter as she pressed another kiss to his cheek and grabbed her bag, hurrying out the back door.

Her mind was already on other things, although they were still magic-related. Clark and warned her that Pete would be ambushing her today at school and the blonde wasn't exactly sure how to handle any of this. On one had she could get why they'd pulled away from her because she _would_ have figured out their magic and freaked out a little-which _might_ have repressed her own magic in fear of being a freak…and yet…Chloe sighed, remembering all the late nights crying, wondering why her best friends didn't want her anymore. She could remember the first days especially, being so hurt and confused, not understanding anything, wondering if it was something she had done.

At first she'd blamed herself, figuring that there was no way that the both of them could have tuned her out like that if it wasn't for the fact that she'd done something horrible and was terrible enough of a person to not even realize whatever it was that she'd done to offend/hurt/anger them.

Afterwards, she'd just resented them and Lana for "taking them away" from her, figuring that the cheerleader had offered them something Chloe couldn't. Obviously popularity was part of that considering everyone basically worshipped Lana in high school, and those in her group were infamous by association.

Rounding towards the front lawn and the driveway, Chloe opened the gate and stepped out, shuffling through her bag for her keys. It was because of that that she nearly ran into someone and gave a little shriek as she looked up, stopping right before she hit whoever it was.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." The stranger gave her a smile as he stared at her. "Is this the Sullivan residence?"

He was older, probably around her father's age, but he was attractive with dark eyes that drew her towards him. There was something about him, she didn't know what, but it called to her softly.

"Uh, _yeah_." She pulled a strand of hair out of her face, giving an awkward little laugh. "I'm Chloe."

"Chloe." He whispered, eyeing her intensely, lips curving into a smile. "John Blackwell."

She eyed the hand he stretched out towards her before reaching out and placing her hand in his, gasping when an electric shock raced between them and _sparked visibly_.

He tightened his grip on her hand when she would have yanked hers out, his eyes narrowed, his lips twisted even more as his eyes met her. "So you really _have_ awoken."

Her green eyes widened as she gazed up at him.

He knew!

_How_?

"Is Gabriel home?" John asked, finally letting her hand slip from his, charm and an aura of mystery and enchantment surrounding him.

"Yeah." She nodded, heart racing, pulse insane, unable to understand the connection she felt with this man.

Was he a witch too?

Did he just know about them?

Then again, why would the...(was it their magic?)...react so _visibly_ at their first touch?

"_John_."

Chloe jumped at her father's voice, finally able to tear her gaze away from the newcomer's, turning towards her father while placing her hand over her racing heart. "Dad!" She felt a little giddy, a lot nervous. "This is John Blackwell...which you already knew...of course."

"Gabriel." John turned towards him.

"It's been a long time, John." Her father stood on the porch, expression blank.

"I know. And I'm sorry." John nodded in agreement. "Things got..._hectic_."

"I can imagine." Gabe nodded before his gaze went to her. "You've met Chloe."

John's gaze slid to her as well. "Yes, I have."

"Honey, you should go, we don't want you getting late for school." Her father smiled at her.

She smiled back, before her gaze was drawn back to John. "Will you be hanging around Smallville for a bit longer, Mr Blackwell?"

He nodded. "I have some business here. We'll be seeing each other again."

Smiling brightly, Chloe sent a kiss in her father's direction and hurried to her car, watching as John entered the house, her father closing the door behind them.

She had no idea who this John Blackwell guy was, but a part of her wanted to be closer, to know more.

Intrigued, the blonde backed out of her driveway and into the street.

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John fingered the curtain open, watching the girl back out into the street before joining the traffic and disappearing from sight. His lips twitched as he finally let the curtain fall together and he turned towards Gabriel, who was leaning against the wall, eyebrow raised. He'd known that there would be some resistance from the man, but he also knew that in the end he'd have his way. He always did, especially when it mattered. And this mattered.

"So, I see the rumors of your death were _vastly_ exaggerated." Gabriel announced, folding his arms over his chest.

"The Witch Hunters massacred half of the circle in Chance Harbor, it was safer for _everyone_ if I was thought dead." He replied, eyeing the seats before taking one. "Don't think I haven't been keeping an eye on things though. You've done a good job raising her, especially after Moira split." He tilted his head to the side. "She's a very special girl."

"Yes, she is, and for many more reasons than the ones _you_ are referring to." Gabriel replied, fatherly pride and protectiveness in his every feature. "She's incredibly smart, has been since an early age, and inquisitive to a fault. She arrived in her high school and revived the dead newspaper, becoming the Editor immediately despite the senior students she managed to wrangle into working there. She has an ability to find the truth when people want it hidden."

That was obviously meant to have a double-meaning.

"Her magic's awoken."

That knocked Gabriel back, his eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"It's what brought me here." John nodded. "I could _feel_ it the moment it rippled out of her." He grinned. "She's strong, Gabe. _Very_ strong. I always knew she would be."

"She's also a kid, John." Gabriel frowned, running his hand over his hair. "She deserves to spend the rest of her childhood as a normal teen without this war of yours weighing over her head!"

"It's her war too, Gabe." John raised an eyebrow. "She's deep in it no matter how much you'd like to bury your head and pretend otherwise. She's a _woman_ now."

"She's _not_." Gabriel snapped.

"Yes, she is. You're just seeing her with the eyes of the man who's taken care of her since the moment she was born." John eyed the older man carefully. "But the woman out there is just that. A _woman_. And the time is drawing nigh."

"She's only _sixteen_ John."

"She's come of age, Gabe." John leaned forwards, seeing that he was finally getting through to the other man. "She's also my first born child of _either_ gender. You know the importance of Firstborns to the Balcoins."

"So you've fathered a son." Gabe's lips twisted. "You've always wanted one."

"I always wanted a male to carry my name when I'm gone, yes, but otherwise I found from extensive research into Balcoin history that it is the _women_ of our family who have always been shown to be _exceptionally_ powerful. Especially if they're the Firstborn." John agreed, leaning back in his seat. "I've managed to father a rounded number. The Balcoin name will return in great numbers and nothing the Elders or the Witch Hunters do will be able to end our name, our lineage, our _blood_."

"Your dark magic." Gabe muttered before finally letting go of his resentful and unhappy attitude with a deep sigh. "How many?"

"Six." He replied, pride welling in his chest.

Gabe closed his eyes, covering them with his hand. "Your very own circle."

John nodded before sighing. "Amelia's dead."

Gabe's eyes flew open in surprise. "And Cassie?"

"She's living in Chance Harbor with Jane." He still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "She's been awoken and bound her circle...and while I'm glad to know that she's awoken her powers there are complications to her being there, bound to that group."

"Ah yes, the Blake and Conant "destined in the stars" situation." Gabe nodded, knowing all about that. "You just barely kept it from happening with Amelia and Ethan."

"There is another issue that I find most perplexing, and I'm sure you'll agree once you find out." John raised an eyebrow. "I know you know that Luthor has had a son...how you've managed to keep Chloe hidden while _working_ for him is utter genius...but I would much more careful now if I were you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gabe leaned forwards. "Luthor might have had a son, but this plant is in hicksville, they'd never come here of their own free will. It's as safe a place as any to keep an eye on them while keeping hidden. I can handle this."

"Yes, but can you handle Queen, Teague and Bloome having sons as well?" John questioned, knowing the answer.

"_What_?" Gabe hissed, standing.

"I've been doing traveling during my...death...and I've stumbled upon their circle. It's a strong one Gabe." John leaned back against the seat, watching the horror on the other man's face. "Imagine a circle comprised of Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen, Jason Teague, Davis Bloome...as well as Patricia Swann and Tess Mercer."

"_That's not good._" Gabe whispered in horror.

John nodded. "A circle filled with the descendants of some of the most ancient families...children who have reason to be quite interested in anything Balcoin."

"Fucking hell." Gabe cursed, running his hand over his face.

"You can understand my need to keep these boys and their families from ever discovering the fact that I have _daughters_." John stood. "Much less figure out whom my _firstborn_ daughter is…or the fact that she is _the_ Firstborn."

Gabe began to pace, cursing to himself. "Dammit John, you should have told me this sooner!"

"I'm telling you now."

"And why is that?" Gabe turned on him, angry. "Why all of a sudden have you decided to make an appearance? It can't be just because she's awoken."

John hesitated a moment before standing. "You're right of course." He raised his chin. "There's _much _more."

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"Hey! Chloe!"

Chloe looked up from locking her car to smile as Van came running up towards her. She had to admit that she was a little relieved that he was the first person she was seeing at school and not any of the others, her smile genuine as he reached her side. "Hey!"

"I am so sorry about last night," he flinched, coming to stand next to her. "Mom was really unfair."

"It's okay." She shrugged.

"That's it? Really?" He blinked in surprise. "Dawn _slapped me_ first thing this morning."

"Ouch." She eyed his face. "There's no mark though, so thankfully her nails didn't scratch skin."

He nodded, falling into pace with her as they made their way towards the school building. "So, did anything interesting happen last night that I missed out on?"

Oh, had it ever!

"Not really, it was a bust." She lied, giving him her most disappointed look. "It wasn't even spooky."

"Well, still, sorry I didn't make it." He looked up when some of his friends called his name and nodded. "Talk to you later then."

And with that he jogged up to his friends, shared high-fives, and went on their merry way.

"I never liked high-fivers." Whitney declared from behind her.

Turning around, Chloe came face to face with Lana and the Drones...should she really be calling them that now?

Pete was the closest to her, holding out a single rose with an apologetic and hopeful expression on his face. "A rose for a rose?"

She could feel the resentment and anger and sense of inadequacy she'd been suffering since Pete and Clark had left her...and a part of her wanted to be spiteful. She still felt betrayed by Clark and Pete, wasn't too sure about Whitney or Greg, and admittedly resented Lana Lang for her role in all of this. It was childish to want to blame everything on Lana and not like her, especially when truthfully the girl had never been unkind to her, but Chloe had already had abandonment issues from her mother booking on her. And then her two best friends had as well. It'd really messed with Chloe's mind and self-esteem, the blonde still not sure if it was something about _her_ that made people just decide to leave.

And yet, at the same time, Chloe had missed Clark and Pete so badly that she was willing to give these others a chance as well if only to have her boys back in her life.

That was why she received the rose gracefully and pressed a kiss to Pete's cheek.

Blushing, Pete gave her a beautiful smile, shucking his hands into his jeans pocket.

Lana smiled brightly, hugging herself. "I'm so glad that you and the boys are reconciled. They really missed you."

Chloe still didn't know what to think about the brunette, so she only just nodded and looked around her.

"Now that you're awoken, and Clark says you actually _believe_ us, we should meet up after school so we can explain things to you." Lana announced, apparently very much in charge of this whole operation. "Though, to be fair, Aunt Nell will be the one who has most of the answers...she's the only one of the old circle who's still around or active so she's been mentoring us."

"Old circle?" Chloe frowned.

"Yes. Remember. I told you we were connected." Lana smiled brightly at the interest. "This goes way back...especially your family, Greg's, and mine."

"Huh?" Chloe was getting more and more confused.

"I say screw school." Greg announced from where he was searching in his leather jacket for something. "Let's swing by the Talon now and get this over with."

"The Talon?" Chloe turned her green gaze on him. "The old abandoned theatre?"

Whitney nodded, hands in his jersey's pockets. "Apparently it's where the old circle used to hang out and practice magic and stuff."

They kept mentioning this "old circle" and it was driving her insane with curiosity.

"I don't know if we should skip." Lana made a face, obviously uneasy with the idea.

"Me neither." Clark gazed around him in worry, as if just around the corner the principal was waiting to catch them red-handed.

"I'm gonna skip either way." Greg pulled out a cigarette and whispered something, the end lighting on fire as he took a whiff of it. "So who's coming with me?"

"You're gonna get cancer like that." Lana made a face at his cigarette.

"Or worse, give it to _us_." Whitney grumbled.

Rolling his eyes, obviously not caring what either had to say, Greg turned to Chloe. "You in?"

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**TBC**


	4. The Talon

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle**

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From the outside the Talon was rundown, unattractive, and in desperate need of a coat of paint. The inside wasn't much different, except it was still fascinating. One wouldn't think from first glance that the inside would look quite like this, or have the constant smell of incense in every corner of the building. It was obviously dedicated to the craft, with symbols on the walls and floors, calendars with the moon's cycles and their names (and magical properties) as well as other magical instruments she could recognize from the many magic-oriented movies she'd watched growing up.

There was a section that was dedicated to growing herbs and plants, another section was a miniature library with books which looked _ancient_, and another contained a table with mystical designs carved into it and magical tools laying on it. There was also a section with sofas which was obviously a recreational section for the group when they weren't doing spell work and just hanging out. There was obvious proof that the place had been used a lot lately.

"Welcome to home sweet home." Greg announced, arms out as he did a little circle before going to throw himself down on one of the sofas.

Chloe gazed around her, taking it all in. Who would have thought that the Talon was hiding this inside of it?

"I'm going to get something to drink, would anyone like something?" Lana asked, going towards a door in the back.

"Coke." Greg called from where he was relaxing on the sofa, combat boots and all.

"Me too please." Whitney nodded, going towards the planet, surprising the hell out of Chloe when he picked up a watering can and began to tend to them.

"I'll help you." Pete offered, following Lana into the other room.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Clark declared from Chloe's side.

"Yeah..." Chloe blinked, watching Whitney adjust some special lights over the plants. "I didn't think he even knew what plants _were_."

"I, uh, meant this place."

"Oh, right." Tearing her gaze away from Whitney, Chloe sent Clark a sheepish smile. "I'm still trying to compute everything that's been happening."

The front door opened and closed. "And that's completely understandable."

Chloe turned to see Nell Potter sauntering towards them, a smile on her face.

Nell was the town's "spinster", despite only being in her early forties, and there was rumors that the reason why she'd never married was because Mr. Kent had been the love of her life. There could be something to that, considering that while Mrs. Kent and Nell were always friendly with each other they'd never been _friends_. Then again, now that Chloe thought about it, Nell really didn't have "friends" per se. Chloe wondered if it was because everyone had noticed that while Nell smiled a lot, the smile never reached her eyes. There was just something in those eyes that had always unnerved her, and still did.

"So, Lana tells me that the blackout near the Beanery was _your_ doing." Nell announced as she arrived by her, circling Chloe with an odd smile on her face. "That's...impressive. Especially considering that out of everyone you're the least trained. Of course, when _Lana_ awoke it started to _rain._"

Chloe didn't feel like giving this woman her back, having never really liked Nell too much, and liking her less now that she was examining her like she was cattle for sale.

"You don't have to be so wary honey, you're amongst _family_ now." Nell announced with a bright smile, finally coming to a stop and clasping her hands in front of her.

"Everyone keeps saying that but I don't get how being witches could make us family." Chloe didn't back down, staring into the older woman's eyes.

Nell nodded, as if having expected this, and given the fact that Chloe was the last to "awaken" magically she probably had had to answer these questions for the others as well. "You see doll, it's much more than just the witchcraft that binds us together. I mean, there are some other witch families in Smallville and yet they've _never_ been a part of our circle. It's always been the Clarks, the Fordmans, the Grants...their names having suffered alterations and some other changes to try and hide their presence from Witch Hunters...the Withridge (who now go by Arkin)" her gaze went to Greg, who was putting out his cigarette. "The Hibbins," her gaze returned to Chloe as she mentioned her mother's maiden name. "And of course, the Thoreaux as head of the circle." Pride filled those eyes as her raised higher. "One of the most powerful witches to date, Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, is our _direct_ ancestor."

"So you're saying that there are other witches in Smallville?" Chloe asked in surprise.

Nell pouted, seeming put out, maybe because the blonde wasn't at all impressed with her dead relative. "Yes, but they don't matter. They are practically not even witches. Our six families were the ones with power...the Hibbins, Thoreaux, and Withridge are traceable to sharing a coven as far back as _medieval_ _France_."

Again, she was not interested. "So my mother was in your circle...which I'm assuming is the "old" circle everyone keeps mentioning."

That annoyance grew slightly before Nell breathed out and smiled. "Yes. Moira was a _very_ strong witch, made the Hibbins name proud. Her sister...not so much." Nell made up her face. "But 'back in the day', as you kids call it now, we had a circle of our own. Your mother, Clark's mother, Whitney's father, Greg's father, Pete's mother and myself...we were all in our own circle."

"Why you and not Lana's mother?" Chloe wanted to know, confused.

Nell smiled brighter at that. "Oh, you see honey, in powerful families, the eldest child is usually the one with the most power...and if it is a family with many members of both sex, the eldest male and the eldest female child..the firstborns...will inherit their parent's true powers. Still, the Firstborn of _all_ the siblings will be the strongest overall."

So Nell was older than Laura.

Okay, that was a very long and complicated way of answering the question.

"And since I myself never had a child and Laura did, our family gift passed on to Lana." Nell smiled proudly, flicking long dark locks behind her shoulder. "By her birthright she is the leader of this circle."

"So my father has no magical-?"

"_Gabriel Sullivan_?" Nell chuckled, shaking her head. "No child, your father is _completely_ normal. Not a bit of magic in _him_."

She felt insulted on her father's behalf for the derisive way Nell said that. "Thank god."

The smile slipped from Nell's lips.

"Aunt Nell!" Lana grinned as she and Pete returned from what must have been a kitchen, carrying a tray with glasses of ice in them while Pete held the gallon of coke.

"Oh darling, let me help you." Nell went to her niece.

Rolling her eyes, Chloe turned her back on them and gazed around the room, curious as she made her way towards the plants.

"I know she might seem like it, but she's not such a _total_ bitch." Whitney surprised her by announcing, his expression amused. "She's just one of those old people who have only done one great thing in their lives, and they tend to just live vicariously through the memories, you know? So try go a little easier on her."

Chloe sent a gaze to where Nell was charming Clark into doing something for her, the blonde's green gaze returning to the quarterback. "Why are you behaving civilly with me now? The kiss wasn't _that_ good."

He snorted in amusement, tilting his head to the side, golden hair falling into his face. "I was only such a jackass to you because I was getting sick of waiting for you to awaken. A circle is six. Extreme emotions are supposed to make your powers manifest quicker...and I figured anger should work on you like it did on me." His lips curled in a smile. "Have to admit though that if I'd known that kissing you was the key to everything, I would have done that a _long_ time ago."

She scoffed, though she hated the blush that darkened on her cheeks.

"You know, that was your first taste of magic...mine." Whitney leaned towards her, his voice low. "For all intents and purposes...I was your _first_."

"Dream on, Quarterback." She slowly pushed him away, not even looking at him.

"Whitney!" Nell called. "Why don't you come and help Lana over here?"

"Sure thing." Whitney nodded, pushing away from the table and going towards her.

Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, Chloe's gaze narrowed in on Greg, who was beckoning her over with a curled finger. She narrowed her eyes before figuring she had nothing to lose, going over towards him on the sofa and sitting down next to him as he slid to a seated position.

"She enjoys the attention." Greg leaned in, dark brown eyes on Nell as she flirtingly laughed with the other males. "I think she figures herself a MILF...which she kinda is an an _aunt_ sort of way."

Chloe's lips twitched in an amused smile.

Greg was about the only one she'd never had down pat.

He'd been best friends with Clark and Pete before she'd moved to Smallville, but according to the boys early on something had "changed" about him, and their friendship had fallen away to nothing by the time she'd arrived. He'd been a geek and loner who'd been fascinated with bugs, the one picked on, known to have a really bad relationship with his mother. And yet (minus the mother issues) the guy sitting next to her was none of those things.

"I'm probably gonna hit that one day." Greg shared with a nod of his head.

Chloe chuckled as she shook her head. "Is that so?"

"Oh yeah. I'm working my game plan. So far it involves a lot of rum."

"For her or you?"

Greg turned to her and grinned a large, toothy grin. "Where have you been all my _life_? These guys are all uptight!"

The blonde smiled, before her gaze noticed something hanging above him on the sofa. Her smile slipped as she stood and reached up, pulling the picture off of it hook on the wall and sitting down next to him once more. Six young faces smiled at her in the faded picture, many of them familiar, one of them horribly so. She found her fingers trailing her mother's face, unable to believe that Moira had truly been a witch-and a happy one if her huge smile was anything to go by.

"It's trippy, huh?" Greg's gaze went to the picture. "Seeing them our age, knowing their were _ages_ more advanced magically than we are…" his gaze was on his father's face. "You would have thought we would have at least been raised closely the way they had."

"They were raised close?" Chloe looked up at him in surprise at that.

"Yeah. Apparently most families _groom_ circles before they're formed." Greg nodded. "And just like Nell said earlier, your family and mine, as well as hers, have been in a circle ever since medieval France."

"Now _that_ is trippy." She shook her head before standing up once more and hanging the picture, sitting next to him with a pensive little expression on her face. "This doesn't seem real."

"Want me to pinch you?" Greg waggled his eyebrows at her.

She turned her gaze on him and shook her head, lips twisting in a smile. "I'll pass, thanks."

He grinned back. "Probably a wise choice, I've been told I have a vicious streak."

"So, what's the what?" She leaned hard against the sofa, eyeing the others.

"I'm the right person to ask." He agreed with that, leaning hard against it as well, slightly towards her as they spoke. "Okay, so Nell's the one who's teaching us what's what and who's who and all that stuff that's only interesting when she's wearing a low-cut shirt."

"Right." Chloe nodded.

His grin grew. "Lana's apparently the power child of awesomeness who farts rainbows and pisses gold." He shook his head. "She's really nice, I mean _really_ nice, and I admit to having had a crush on her before I realized just how many low-cut shirts her Auntie Nell owned..." he shook his head, having wandered into a different topic. "Point is she's nice, she's cute, and apparently god shat her family out one day just because he's god and he can."

Chloe was beginning to wonder why she'd never talked to Greg Arkin up until today.

"The Thoreaux are apparently some legendary French family of witches who are _one_ of the most powerful bloodlines." He grinned. "I like to remind Nell it's '_one'_ of the most powerful and not '_the'_ most powerful."

"That might be why you haven't scored yet." Chloe pointed out.

He paused and thought it over. "Yeah, you might have something there."

She chuckled, enjoying this talk a lot more than she'd thought she would.

"So apparently Lana's the first to awaken because, like Nell's said more than once, their family's one of the strongest bloodlines and the born leaders of this circle." Greg continued on. "It rained when her powers awoke inside of her as she stood over her parents graves...which she goes to visit in the dead of the night by herself."

"That's not safe." Chloe frowned.

"Well, she beat the odds of cute girl alone in the dark." Greg shrugged. "I was the next to awaken...I'd had another fight with my mom and was running away...which would have worked out if I hadn't actually had an accident. The shock of it and the adrenaline must have jolted my powers into awakening because I walked out of an accident I shouldn't have. And I shouldn't have because I was on fire…except only my clothes were. I got out of there butt naked. Imagine explaining _that_ to people when you couldn't figure it out yourself." Greg snorted. "Nell figured what'd happened and sent Lana to recruit me. Sadly, the whole fire-proof thing didn't last much longer, according to Nell it was only because I was awakening that the magic coating me shielded my skin from the flames. But now that that's over I'm as flammable as the next man." He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. "Talking about the 'next man', it was Fordman. He had a huge fight with his father who beat him and guess what...for the first time ever Fordman hit back."

Chloe went still, her eyes wide in horror.

She hadn't known that Whitney had those sorts of problems at home.

"His daddy's a miserable drunk who got used to pushing his boy around, and then one day Fordman got enough and he beat the living shit out of the old man...the fury awakening the power inside of him. Lightning struck the tree outside the Fordman's house and split it in two." Greg smirked. "His old man figured what was happening and hasn't raised his hand against him since then. The old fart lost his own powers years back for abusing them; they were removed by the Elders, and it was one of the reasons why he was such a miserable asshole."

"They can be removed?" Chloe's eyes widened.

Greg nodded. "Sucks, huh?"

Chloe breathed out, shocked by all she was learning.

"Pete's happened when he was swimming out by Crater Lake, he hit his head while jumping in during a night dive and the lake froze over." Greg announced, apparently vastly informed on everyone's "awakening" story. "Clark was with him and in his desperation to get to Pete his power awoke and a mini earthquake hit just the lake, breaking the ice." He rolled his head towards Chloe. "And of course we all know how _you_ joined our happy little "family". Surprise Incest. Pure and simple."

Chloe slugged Greg's shoulder, blushing darkly at his amused chuckle.

"So now that Nell has the _set_, she's gonna want to bind our circle." Greg made a face. "She's been talking about it since I joined, about how once we have the sixth we can do the binding ceremony. It's supposed to make us more powerful and to protect us, but other than that she's keeping things close to her chest."

"Bind the circle?" Chloe frowned. "I don't know if I like that...it sounds...definite. You know? I'm here because I want my questions answered...not because I'm signing away myself to some coven."

"Circle." Greg responded. "It's called circle."

"Whatever." Chloe pursed her lips. "I don't like this idea."

"And what idea is this Miss Sullivan?" Nell's voice cut in.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe turned towards her. "What does it mean when you bind a circle? It sounds permanent."

"It's a necessary precaution that has to be taken now that the six of you are with active powers." Nell replied, coming towards them. "As I said, this circle is an old one, and now that there are six potential circle members your powers are going to start drawing on each other's. They'll...be a power boost in a sense...and you will be unable to control them. Innocent people will be hurt. Only with your circle bound will you be able to slowly master and control your powers."

"Thing is, I don't like _slow_." Greg was surprisingly enough on Chloe's side, resting his elbows on his knees as he eyed Nell. "And I don't like the thought of being bound either. It's like I'm being tied down. I don't do tied down."

"Me neither." Chloe agreed, rubbing her arms. "I come from a long line of people who get fidgety when they're faced with long-term commitment. I mean, just look at my mother. She's a fine example of what happens when you try to tie down a Hibbins."

"Your mother was bound to our circle, she didn't have problems with being committed to _us_." Nell responded, folding her arms over her chest. "She was smart enough to understand that it was necessary to be bound, to be a _whole_ and not six pieces. She understood the need to be a part of something greater than herself."

"Then why aren't you a circle anymore?" Chloe wanted to know. "Why'd she split on _you guys too_ if you're so wonderful?"

Nell sighed. "By the time your mother left our group had already been broken, due to Greg's father's death."

"So death of a member of the circle unbinds it?" Clark asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes, unless there's another member of the same family who's ready and willing to step into the vacated place." Nell sat down on one of the seat. "Otherwise a new circle would have to be bound, with a new member...or remain unbroken and its former members, volatile, vulnerable."

Thing was, this was the first time Chloe had seen some genuine emotion on the woman's face, and it unnerved her.

"Your mother and I were friends once, Chloe, and I know that her leaving you has left you very wary and untrusting, but you have to understand that this is for your own good." Nell's gaze met hers. "The circle _has_ to be bound. Maybe not today, or tomorrow. But soon. Or you're all going to be in _grave _danger."

"Will you tell us now?" Lana asked softly, hugging herself, seeming so unsure and worried. "Will you tell us what's coming? Will you tell us what you're so scared about?"

"Yeah Nell." Pete nodded, placing a hand on Lana's shoulder. "You told us that once we had the sixth that you'd tell us."

"Soon." Nell promised, sadness deep in every corner of her face as she stood. "I need a drink." And with that she headed towards the kitchen and disappeared through the swinging doors.

Lana watched her aunt go with worry.

Pete squeezed her shoulder.

She gave him a sad smile.

Clark sighed as the rest of the unbound circle joined Chloe and Greg in the seating area, silence falling onto them. "I think we should do it."

"Me too." Lana agreed quickly. "We've already felt a spike in our powers since Chloe's blackout last night...and that's only the start."

They'd already started feeling an increase in their powers?

Chloe's eyes widened in shock.

"We should do it. It's what every circle's done before us." Pete sat on the armrest of Clark's chair. "We're safer that way, and with the Witch Hunters out there I think it's the best thing for us to do."

"If this is a vote, I'm voting _no_." Greg declared. "I don't need to be bound to a circle to fry some Witch Hunters if they come after me." He smirked at Pete. "I'll protect you if you want."

Pete rolled his eyes.

"I say no too." Whitney surprised them all by declaring. "I'm don't like the idea of "binding" it sounds restrictive."

"Exactly." Greg agreed.

Clark's gaze went to Chloe.

"Sorry," she folded her arms over her chest. "My vote's with these two. No."

Clark sighed, obviously disappointed.

"So we're at a stalemate." Lana frowned. "No one can be forced to make this choice, but I really do believe that it's the best thing for us a group to do. Really. I do."

A silence fell over the group as they stared unseeingly in front of them.

For the first time they were a complete circle...and yet never before had they been so divided.

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**TBC**


	5. Just Not Enough Time

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle

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There was a lot that she didn't know, and she ended up spending the rest of the day with the circle in the Talon, watching them perform spells, listening to Whitney go on about the plants and the magical properties they had, and Lana recite much of the books' knowledge by heart. The others were obviously ahead of the silent blonde by leaps and bounds, having had time to study under Nell's apparently quite competent tutelage. It was fascinating to watch them interact with each other like this because while Lana was undeniably petite and fragile looking the large, powerful boys around her obviously didn't question her leadership, didn't think to. Chloe wondered if somehow following the Thoreaux lineage was in their (the other Circle members) genetic makeup since their ancestors had all supposedly done the same.

And that made her wonder if no one had ever rebelled over that…and if they had…what exactly had happened to them? Was there a punishment for trying to usurp the position of leader from someone who was "born" to lead the circle?

It wasn't that Chloe was trying for leadership, hell, she wasn't even sure she wanted to be a part of this circle much less it's leader…but these were the sorts of questions that plagued her mind as she observed the group dynamic.

She learnt something fascinating just by listening to them though, proving that keeping the Circle near (even if for information alone) was a wise choice.

Apparently each of their families had a family book of spells with their family history and secret written on it, but only Lana had hers since Nell had bequeathed it to her once she'd awoken. The others were searching for theirs to no avail. Pete's mother had turned away from witchcraft sometime after Pete's birth and was now a devote christian, so he knew better than to ask her for it and was searching for the book on his own. Clark had tried to broach the topic with his parents, but neither of them had thought that he was ready so he was also searching on his own. Greg was out of luck considering that his mother had no idea that magic existed, much less that she'd married into it.

So that left Chloe with the Hibbins' book of shadows.

She could ask her father, but considering he didn't have magic and apparently had never been told about his wife being a witch, well, it was probably better if she tried searching for it on her own.

Hopefully her mother hadn't taken it with her when she'd left.

That was why when she'd finally arrived home she'd thrown her bag to the ground and had gone to her parents' room, hesitating only a second before hurrying in. She memorized where everything was so that she could but them back in order before her father returned late that night, and she'd been in the middle of pulling all of his books from his private collection off of his book shelf when someone knocked on the open bedroom door.

"Usually it's the parents digging through the kid's room."

Eyes wide, Chloe gave a shriek as she turned towards the voice, finding John Blackwell leaning in the doorway. "How'd you get in the house?"

He chuckled. "I'm staying the night. Your father leant me the spare key. I was sleeping in the guest room when I heard the noise and came to investigate."

She flinched, looking around her. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing."

"I can guess." He pushed away from the doorway and went to sit on the bed. "And I can say I don't think your mother would have hidden her family's book in plain sight."

Chloe felt relief and shock flow through her. "So you _do_ know."

"Takes one to know one."

She turned towards him, eyes wide. "I knew it! You're a witch too!" She then frowned, biting her bottom lip. "You say witch when it's a guy too right? I'm still _really_ new at this."

"Yes, we're called witches as well." John chuckled, apparently quite amused with her questions. "So I'm figuring that the local circle has zeroed in on you now that your powers have manifested."

"Yeah, they say they're the children of my mom's old circle."

"Ah, so the Kents, Fordmans, Arkins, Potters and Geneva Grant had children then." John kept proving himself to her with every word and comment he made, and honestly, he was much more likable than Nell Potter.

"Is it true that Lana Lang's family are one of the most powerful witch families?" Chloe turned towards him, seating Indian Style.

John groaned, palming his face. "Is Nell still bragging to everyone about that Countess of hers? Isobel?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Chloe grinned, enjoying his reaction because it quite mirrored her own.

"Don't get me wrong, the Thoreaux lineage isn't something to scoff at, and Isobel was a _hell_ of a witch if the ancient archives can be believed..." John finally removed his hand from his face, shaking his head. "But there were other families which were much stronger than the Thoreaux. They weren't the all-powerful leaders that Nell and her family would like everyone to believe. They're usually the leaders of their circles that's true, because they're very controlling...Nell especially exhibited that trait. She would always find ways of manipulating those in her circle to do as she wanted. It annoyed your mother to no small degree."

Finally, something she had in common with Moira Sullivan nee Hibbins.

Chloe eyed the man, having so many questions and not sure which one she wanted answered first. She'd always resented her mother for leaving her, but that resentment was tenfold now knowing that the woman had _known_ that Chloe would come into her powers and have no one but _Nell Potter_ to go to, and yet she'd left without so much as a letter to explain things for her only child. "Do you know where my mother is now?"

John's smile melted slightly as he eyed her, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I don't."

"I-I'd thought that maybe _she_ had sent you." She admitted, feeling so stupid for it. "When we touched this morning you weren't surprised by the magic shock, it was a confirmation to something you already know." The girl shrugged. "I guess I figured that maybe mother knew that I was awakening and had sent you here to try and help me a little."

John eyed her in silence, continuing to shake his head. "I haven't seen Moira since your birth."

"Then why are you here now?" Chloe wanted to know, pushing up to her feet.

He eyed her in continued silence before running a hand over his hair. "We have a lot that we have to talk about, Chloe, and I know that you are going to have even more questions by the time we've finished than you do now."

"I find that hard to believe." She muttered in disbelief, unable to believe that she could have more questions than the millions that were now clogging up her mind. One of those very questions bubbling up her throat and spewing from her lips before she could even think to stop it. "What does it mean to bind a circle?"

His expression immediately turned from cautious to grave. "Nell wants you to bind the circle?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded, feeling uneasy with his reaction. "She says its for our own protection because of Witch-Hunters...but somehow I feel like she'd not telling us everything."

"There _is_ protection in a circle, but you also become vulnerable and dependent on your circle members." John frowned.

"Dependent." Chloe flinched at the very word. "In what way exactly?"

"Many ways, but in the one that matters most-you can't do magic unless you're in close proximity with someone from your circle."

The blonde drew back at the very thought.

Magic might be something new to her, and she might have only done one spell, but the thought of this power being limited...to having its access restricted to her like that...it felt liked the possibility of losing a limb.

"Exactly." John seemed to understand her, nodding.

"So you're not bound to a circle?" Chloe asked curiously, knowing so little about this mystery man standing before her who promised more answers than she had questions.

John didn't answer, but all around them everything started floating.

"Wow..." Chloe grinned brightly, looking around her. "So you can do magic without saying spells?"

"Of course I can, and so can _you_." He assured her with patience and a little hint of a smile. "It's a little harder to do, but with strong instincts and determination...and also knowing what you _really_ want...you could be invincible."

She pondered the notion, raising her hand towards one of the pens floating in the air. The blonde tried concentrating, tried bringing it towards her without a spell, and yet it twirled slowly in the air and never followed her mental commands.

John chuckled, shaking his head. "I never said that you'd be able to do it _right away_."

"But I was able to do the spell to make my fake butterflies fly on the first try." Chloe countered, letting out a little growl. "Even though the spell was dumb. There wasn't even latin involved."

He was obviously finding her extremely amusing. "You've only found out about your powers a day now Chloe, give it a little more time. You'll be surprised at how powerful you really are, and how quickly your strength is going to increase."

She sent him a curious look, having noted the many times he'd hinted at the fact that she was going to be a force to reckon with, something that she admittedly liked the thought of. "Are the Hibbins a powerful family then?"

He paused for a moment, considering, before giving a slow nod. "You come from an extremely powerful bloodline, and you're the firstborn girl. That's important in magical families. All of your family are important, but you hold a special position."

"Firstborn, period." She reminded, wondering about this "position", the whole thing sounding a little military-which made her think of Lois and Lucy and the General. "Don't have any other siblings."

He paused, eyeing her, obviously considering something before taking in a breath. "As a Firstborn, and a woman, you will find that you have a certain _pull_ on male witches, especially if they do magic with you."

Chloe's eyes widened, remembering the issue with Whitney and then with Clark.

"I see this has already started." John frowned, leaning his chin on his hand as he looked at her. "Who?"

"Whitney Fordman kissed me to shock my powers into activating, which he said was his magic entering me and connecting with mine...and he's been unusually _flirty_ ever since." Chloe still didn't know how to deal with the thought of a flirty Whitney-and the possibility that it might all be the fault of her unintentionally magically date-raping him. "And then after performing magic with me last night Clark Kent-Martha Kent nee Clark's son-who's been my best friend for years, suddenly seemed to notice I was a girl and he was about to kiss me when his dad called and interrupted it."

There was an odd glint in John's eyes as he gazed at her. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, leaning hard against the wall as he eyed her. "There is a lot I have to tell you, Chloe. But what I have to tell you would take days to properly tell, to properly convey the importance and the sentiment. I wish this trip could be longer, that I could start with your instructions now, but I'm unfortunately pressed for time." He leaned forwards towards her. "Just know that you're stronger than you or your circle...and especially Nell Potter...know or could ever understand. And it's better if they, especially _her_, are left in the dark. About you...and about me and my visit."

"You don't trust her." And she latched onto that because she didn't like or trust the older woman either, preferring to trust the man whom her father would allow to spend the night in their home.

She trusted her father's judgement...even if he didn't know John was a witch.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but those boys aren't reacting that way towards you because they have genuine romantic feelings, it's actually something they're unable to understand or control either so you're going to have to take control of the situation. That's something you're going to have to get used to, taking over, taking control. It'll come naturally to you soon, especially now that you've awoken, both as a woman and as a witch." John declared, his voice and expression serious. "While I don't have time to truly sit down with you and explain your role and your particular gifts, I need to warn you about this…effect…you're having on those poor boys. If their magic has gotten a taste of your magic, it's going to subconsciously urge them to seek you out and search for opportunities in which your magic connect...such as performing spells together or more...physical...ways."

She went scarlet, but wouldn't let her embarrassment keep her from asking questions. "Does this happen with every female witch from powerful bloodlines?"

"Firstborn female. And only from the _most_ _powerful_ bloodline." He was emphasizing that again, which was fascinating because Nell didn't make the Hibbins seem like they were _all that_ powerful, especially not in comparison to the Thoraeux. "You have to limit the magic you do with others because your bloodline is a very old, very powerful one. There are some witches who could get a high off of it...and you don't want people developing an addiction in which you're the fix."

Suddenly, being from a powerful bloodline seemed like a pain in the ass.

"But if I'm bound in the circle I'll only be able to do magic with someone else..." Chloe ran her fingers through her hair. "Being bound seems less and less like the right thing for me to do."

He hesitated for a moment. "I'd like to show you something."

She nodded.

John Blackwell motioned for her to follow as he left her father's room, the things still floating even when he left. It fascinated her as she gazed at the floating objects before hurrying after John, finding him returning to the guest room he was staying in at the moment. A part of the teenager reminded her about the warning to never follow a stranger into a bedroom, but some other part of her scoffed at the wariness concerning John. It was ridiculous really, the amount of trust she was putting into a stranger. As a rule of thumb she tended to distrust and be wary of everyone, but there was something about John Blackwell that drew her to him...made her want to listen to what he said and believe every word. There was a connection between them. Maybe it was the magic thing...but she didn't feel this sort of connection with Nell Potter.

So maybe it was something else.

Reaching for his suitcase, John put it on the bed and opened it, revealing neatly folded clothes and a medium sized black bag within. "What I'm going to show you, and tell you, needs to stay between us." He turned his gaze on her. "I need you to swear that to me."

She nodded, her curiosity killing her. "I swear."

"Good." He reached for the bag and opened the draw strings, hesitating a second as he turned his body towards her. "There's so much I need to tell you, to teach you, and I know that you will have many questions for me but I can't answer most until I return. But your powers have awoken now, and you're a woman, so it is important that you know at least this much."

Her eyes narrowed, knowing in her gut somehow that despite everything that'd happened so far, it was _this moment_ that would change her life forever.

"The blood that runs through my veins runs through yours, and because of that you will be in _grave_ danger." John Blackwell floored her with this revelation, his gaze intent on hers. "The Witch-Hunters have a special interest in our family, and so you must keep your existence, your connection to me, and your magic a secret...you cannot trust those in your circle." His face went dark. "It would not have been the first time that members of a circle betray their so called family to the Witch-Hunters in exchange for immunity or something of the like."

"We're...related?" That's all she'd heard, eyes on the man.

Was he a cousin of her mother's?

Or had her mother had a brother she'd never told her about?

"Yes." He nodded, seeming _so much more_ to her now that she knew they had blood connections. This must be what she'd felt from him all this time, the connection, the familiarity. She'd felt their shared blood. Maybe that was why their hands had sparked when they'd touched for the first time. Maybe it was kind reacting to kind. "I will explain things in more detail when I return, but until then...this is yours." He reached into the bag and pulled out a beautiful necklace. A circular orb pendant hung on a silver chain, a small crystal dangling from the bottom of the orb, and a symbol and inscriptions in a language she'd never seen before covering it.

It was beautiful.

"It's _mine_?" She whispered, looking up at him and then back down at him.

He nodded, unclasping the chain before putting down the bag and going behind Chloe to fix the necklace around her neck. "It's passed down to the firstborn daughter of our family once she comes of age and her powers manifest." He rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Then why wasn't it given to Lois?" Wouldn't that have made more sense, given the fact that Lois was the firstborn girl of the Hibbins lineage?

Chloe clasped her hand around the orb, and suddenly magic shocked through her, and she could feel something powerful...overwhelming so. John's hands on her shoulders connected her to him, and she could feel their magics clashing as they met.

There was a loud bang as the things that'd been floating in her father's room hit the ground. Hard.

Something else...something within her that she hadn't felt before while doing magic...seemed to give a spark of life.

But she didn't pay much attention to it, instead feeling a _third_ party...and once more the presence, the magic, was _familiar._

_ "The medallion_." John hissed, yanking his hands from Chloe, ending the connection abruptly. "She's found the medallion."

"What are you talking about?" Chloe turned towards him, heart still racing.

"I have to leave sooner than I thought." Disappointment and urgency mixed within him as he started towards the bed before turning back towards her. "Never take that off, and never let someone else see it."

"Why?" Chloe questioned, clasping the pendant in her hands, still somewhat numb from everything that'd just happened and confused as to what it (and John's reactions) meant. What medallion was he talking about? Who had found it? Why was it important? And who had she felt momentarily?

"I can't answer your questions now!" He was hurriedly throwing his things into his suitcase. "But I will once I return. Everything will be answered." Slamming the suitcase closed, John turned to her and shocked the girl stiff by drawing her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Soon."

And then he was gone.

Long after she heard the front door slam shut Chloe was still in the guest room, hand clasping the orb...which throbbed as if alive.

What the hell had just happened?

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**TBC**


	6. Going Too Far

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle

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The next couple of days at school Chloe was in somewhat of a daze. She kept the necklace John (she was still wondering if she should call him Uncle John or _what) _had given her, wearing it yet keeping it hidden under her blouse at all times. The blonde didn't know how she got through her days as if her world wasn't completely turned upside-down. And yet somehow she was still able to keep up her grades, keep the Torch running smoothly, hide everything from her father and also train with Nell and the others at the Talon. There was still a lot that she wasn't getting, and Nell always found a way to praise a slightly embarrassed Lana, but at least Chloe found out that there _were_ some spells in latin…and that made up for a lot of the other stuff.

Considering everything that (uncle/cousin/verydistantlyrelated?) John had told her, Chloe shied away from any group activities in which she had to use magic along with the others. Nell kept giving her looks and her annoyance seemed to grow, Chloe being assigned the grunt work in retaliation, but she soldiered on. If the Witch-Hunters were really out there, and if she and the others were really in danger, she wanted to know everything she'd need to defend herself and them as well. It just would be less annoying if Nell wasn't constantly trying to push them to consider binding their circle. The woman was relentless.

"I don't understand why you are all being so hardheaded about this." The older woman announced with a growl in her voice. "You'd think that you'd be smart enough to understand what is at stake here! Your _lives_! The Witch-Hunters have been more active recently and should they catch wind about us they _will_ come. And you'll all be sitting ducks. You _need_ to bind your circle as soon as possible!"

Lana's cell rang, interrupting.

"_Lana._" Nell surprisingly enough snapped at her niece. "I've _told_ everyone to keep their phones off while you're studying."

"I'm sorry." Lana blushed in embarrassment, hurrying to her phone and turning off. "Tina just, you know, she wants to hang out and I haven't been able to really do so-so-."

"You don't need people like _Tina Greer_ associating herself with you, honey." Nell sighed, running her hand through her hair. "You are the leader of this circle, you need to step up and show your subordinates that you can protect and lead them."

"_Subordinates_?" Chloe took issue with that.

Nell ignored her, eyes on Lana. "Until your circle has been bound, and I am satisfied that when the Witch-Hunters arrive you can defend yourselves, you're not allowed to spend time with Tina or anyone else who isn't a part of the circle. Is that clear?"

Lana hung her head, nodding. "Yes ma'am."

"Good girl." Nell rubbed her head approvingly.

"What is she? A _poodle_?" Greg whispered to Chloe, folding his arms over his chest.

She snorted, having thought the same about Nell's treatment. "Aren't we _all_ her trained dogs learning to bark on command?"

Greg frowned at that thought.

"I hope you all understand that that is for you _all_ as well." Nell turned to them. "Training is your priority now. You can't focus on _anything_ else while going on. Quit your extracurriculars, after school jobs. Starting next week your training begins _immediately_ after school ends."

"No can do." Whitney replied, not even looking up from where he was transplanting some herbs from a smaller container into a larger one. "I'm not quitting football."

"Magic training is more important than throwing pigskin around like a neanderthal." Nell scolded.

"Tell that to coach." Whitney's voice was a near dare.

"I'm not quitting the Torch." Chloe joined Whitney's side on this debate. "I brought it out of retirement and I have no plans of leaving it to the others to run. That's _my_ baby."

"Why am I not surprised that you're fighting me?" Nell shook her head. "You must get this rebellious streak somehow from your father because your mother wasn't difficult like this."

That was probably the nicest thing Nell had ever said to Chloe, and it made the blonde grin in satisfaction at that.

Sighing, Nell turned to Pete and Greg. "You two, you need to concentrate on your defensive spells. You have offensive down pat but you need to know how to protect as well as attack." She turned to Whitney. "Your horticulture knowledge continues to impress me Whitney, you have a knack for green witchery, I want you to continue honing that natural gift of yours and I have some books on magical plants and their various uses that I want you to look over." She turned to Clark. "Unlike Pete and Greg, your offensive spells need a lot of work. You need to also know how to _attack_ your enemies. To kill them if necessary."

"I don't want to know how to kill someone." Clark surprisingly enough stood up to the woman.

"Let's see if you continue to think that when Witch-Hunters are torturing and murdering your family and friends." Nell raised an eyebrow before dismissing him and turning to Chloe. "I don't know _what_ is up with you, but spells are more powerful when they're done in groups, in _your circle_. You can't just get by by using solo magic. You need to learn to do circle magic and since you've been jumpy and utterly bullheaded I'm putting you with the best to help work out whatever issues you have with this. Me." She turned to Lana. "Why don't you oversee the other's work?"

"Yes ma'am." Lana nodded, gaze lowered.

"I'm not doing magic with you." Chloe frowned at Nell, taking a step backwards, remembering John's warnings. She wasn't sure if it was the same when it was done with another female, and yet she didn't want to even _think_ of someone like Nell Potter getting an addiction to her magic.

"I'm not giving you a choice in the matter." Nell took a step towards her.

"I'm serious! I am _not_ doing magic with _you_." Chloe grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. "I'm out of here. Van's waiting for me."

"I did _not_ say today's training was finished." Nell's voice was a warning.

Chloe's hand reached for the doorknob yet pulled away when it began to visibly glow with heat. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to catch Nell finishing whispering some sort of incantation. "I'm leaving. So _stop_ it."

"When the Witch-Hunters come for you are you going to tell them that?" Nell taunted.

"Considering they're _Witch-Hunters_ I'm guessing they won't be using _magic_ against me."

"You never know what they'll throw at you." Nell tilted her head. "Sorta like _now_." She raised her hand and pointed it at her. "Constrict and choke."

Suddenly Chloe's throat tightened, restricting the air passage, making it almost impossible to swallow. The blonde grabbed at her throat, dropping her bag as she gasped desperately for air.

"What are you doing?" Clark snapped. "Stop it!"

Chloe fell to her knees, trying desperately to breathe.

"She needs to understand the _seriousness_ of what we're trying to do." Nell narrowed her eyes on Chloe. "This isn't a game."

Black spots were beginning to dance in front of her eyes as her lungs burned for oxygen and her throat hurt from her desperate gasps.

"Aunt Nell!" Lana cried in horror. "You're going too far!"

"The Witch-Hunters won't stop whatever they are doing no matter how much you beg them!" Nell snapped. "Has _no one_ understood this?"

"_YOU_ are not a Witch-Hunter!" Pete snapped right back at her.

Terror welled inside of Chloe, along with something else. It was that primal something that'd seemed to activate when John had given her the necklace. It seemed like power and yet so much more. It roared inside of her, surging forth like an explosion, and then suddenly Nell was thrown against the far wall, crying out as the impact of her body caused the things on the wall to come crashing down before her body followed.

"Aunt Nell!" Lana cried, hurrying towards the fallen woman.

Taking in her first true gasp of oxygen, Chloe coughed, holding onto her burning throat, chest hurting her, vision still blurry.

That thing, whatever it was, subsided back inside of her, hidden.

"Are you okay?" Clark was by her side in a second, helping her up to her feet.

"That's it." It hurt to speak, Chloe's throat horribly sore, her dark gaze going to where Lana was helping a disoriented Nell to her feet. "I'm done with this. Find another sixth." And with that she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the Talon.

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"Non-verbal magic." Nell ran her hands through her hair, anger, confusion and adrenaline racing through her system. "Why didn't anyone tell me that she could do non-verbal magic?!" She turned on the five kids still in the Talon with her. "I should know these things!"

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you, woman?" Greg wanted to know, standing up from where he'd been sitting on the sofa. "You could have _killed_ her!"

"I knew exactly what I was doing." It rankled her that he questioned her and her control over her own abilities.

"And that's what bothers me." Clark murmured, usually silent and pensive like his mother, yet this time choosing to speak up. "You're supposed to be our tutor, supposed to teach us to protect ourselves, and yet you knowingly nearly killed Chloe. You _punished_ her because she questions you." His eyes narrowed. "Makes _me_ begin to question you too."

"I'm out of here." Whitney grabbed his bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nell turned to him, eyes narrowed, never having expected problems from him either.

"When grownups feel like they have the right to pick on those they think are weaker, I know to bow out." He shook his head at her before storming out, slamming the door behind him.

How could she have let her annoyance cause her to forget that Whitney had had a lifetime of being pushed around by his drunk ass father? She should have realized that he would react badly to her dishing out a wakeup call to Moira's stubborn girl!

Nell palmed her face. "I should apologize to him."

"To _Whitney_?" Clark frowned, seeming completely shocked. "What about to _Chloe_? She's the one you tried to _kill_!"

"I didn't try to _kill_ her, I was just trying to prove to her and the rest of you how serious this is." She frowned at Martha's boy, needing him and the others to understand. "The Witch Hunters won't care that you're just kids. And you also have other witches out there who won't mind using their magic against you. You need to be able to defend yourselves from these sorts of attacks and send counterattacks as well. Chloe's the newest to this circle, she doesn't understand as much as you all do."

"What circle?" Greg pipped, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette, whispering a spell that lit the tip before he took in a deep whiff, spewing out a blanket of smoke passed his lips. "Last I heard a circle is six, and we're now down _two_ members."

"Whitney and Chloe will come back." She was sure of this.

"Maybe we should all take a break." Pete was apparently joining in on the rebellion, running his hand over his shortly cropped hair. "Things have been intense since Chloe awoke. I mean, our powers have grown in strength and intensity and it has us all on edge. Maybe we just need a couple of days of nothing witchcraft related to calm down and face the training and our issues with a cool head."

"We _need_ to keep practicing." Lana was, of course, ever the smarter, more mature of her peers. "I know that Aunt Nell is a little…_hard_…on us sometimes, but it's for our own good. We've read about what the Witch-Hunters did in other towns, especially Salem, and they tried to make this a Burning Town as well. We're the descendants of some of the more ancient families, our circle is an ancient, _powerful_ one. They're going to know that we're forming up again. And we need to be prepared for whatever they'll dish out to us."

"Why?" Greg wanted to know, letting out another wall of smoke. "Why wait all this time? They obviously knew that there were witches in this town. If you're to be believed, Nell, our parents' circle had dealings with them. So why did they just leave everyone and are only now concentrating on our generation?"

That was what made her wary about Greg. He wanted to believe he was James Dean, the bad boy, but he was still a nerd deep inside. A smart one. A cunning one. He and Chloe would cause the most problems because they thought of the questions no one else considered, and they were both brave enough to actually _ask_ those questions, to challenge her. Nell wasn't used to being challenged. Sure, at first things had been awkward during the beginning formation of her own circle, but once everyone learnt their place and pecking order most of the chaos had died down and they'd been a well-working machine.

Now she needed to make sure that these kids understood their part in this circle, and that Lana was ready to assume leadership. It wasn't an easy role to fill, and sometimes she worried that her niece wasn't ready in the least bit.

"Because," she met Greg's dark gaze. "They killed your father and our circle broke apart." She could still remember the night too well. "It was the beginning of the end for our circle. Whitney's father had his powers removed from him for his actions by the elders, Pete's mother chose to have the elders take hers, wanting nothing else to do with witchcraft." She turned to look at Clark, who looked nothing like his mother and yet had her good heart. "Your mother chose to remove herself from any circle activity to keep you and your father safe." She shook her head. "And we _all_ know that Chloe's mother skipped town." It still burned her, how it'd all crumbled to dust. "The Witch-Hunters realized that our generation's circle was done for, there were no other witches in our town who I'd join in a circle with, and the Witch-Hunters had bigger fish to fry."

"What fish?" Lana asked softly. "You always hint to the fact that there was a bigger player back in your days, but you never come out and explain to us who or what you're talking about."

"You're not ready. None of you are." She hedged, flashes of the ever handsome John Blackwell flashing mockingly in her mind. "You are all dismissed. I have things I need to do."

And with that she stormed out of the Talon, clenching her fists.

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"So, what adventures are we going on this evening?" Van was full of too much enthusiasm as he slipped into her car, his gear in the bag he placed on the back seat.

Still rubbing her throat, sucking on a Halls candy she'd bought at the drugstore on her way to where she'd agreed to meet up with her photographer, Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Farmer Jenkins has had another cow mutilated. That's two in four nights."

"Are we thinking Chupacabra?" Van's voice was pure playfulness and teasing as he waggled his eyebrows, closing his door.

"Chupacabras only drain animals' blood, they don't do mutilation." Chloe shook her head, reversing out of the school's parking lot and into the street. "I'm not exactly sure _what_ it is, but Farmer Jenkins makes a living from those cows."

"And the mystery intrigues you."

"The mystery intrigues me." She agreed, sharing a mischievous smile with the guy, unable to believe that she'd made friends with him. If someone had told her that she'd end up roping the handsome senior who would service the computers in the Torch into doubling as her photographer and sidekick, she would have scoffed at that. And yet here they were, driving towards the Jenkins property while going over their game plan on what exactly they were going to do once they got there.

"By the way, what happened to your throat?" Van raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you're a chain smoker."

Her hand rose to her sore throat instinctively. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Just don't give anything to me." He ordered "Dawn would _kill_ me if I passed any flu to her. And she'd force me to take care of her until she recuperated-even if I myself were dying of the same flu at the same time."

"Okay, this is going to be _so_ awkward, but is what she offers _that_ good?" Chloe asked, blushing a little in embarrassment at what she was asking.

Van's eyes widened in shock before he burst out laughing. "I can't believe you just asked me that!"

The blonde groaned as she returned her gaze out the windshield window. "I'm just saying that you complain about her and what she does to you all the time, but I do _not_ see you dumping her any time soon…so what you must be getting out of it to put up with her spoiled ways must be _great_."

Van was still snickering as his shoulders shook in amusement.

"Shut up." She blushed darker, feeling soooo embarrassed right now.

"Well, to answer your question," Van snorted in laughter, slapping his knee. "She isn't a _goddess_ in bed or anything, but she's got a sweet side deep deep _deep_ inside her barbed-wire heart."

Chloe sent his a sideways glance. "So deep down inside you're actually a romantic?"

He snorted. "I don't know if I could say _that_, but we connect in a way that's not _purely_ physical."

The blonde thought that over, her gaze going to the road as she made a face. "So was she your first?"

"What? _No_!" Van was red this time, clearing his throat. "Maybe." His blue eyes stared out of the window. "Yeah."

She was much more comfortable now that he was just as uncomfortable at her. "You hers?"

"Yep." The boy nodded slowly before making up his nose. "Unless she's a _real_ good actress."

Chloe chuckled softly at that, shaking her head.

"What about you?" He asked, turning his gaze on her. "Who was the brave soul to take _your_ Scarlet V?"

She could _not_ believe she'd started this conversation! "Uh…."

Van's eyes widened. "Wow. _Really_?"

Was she _that_ easy to read?

"Whoa." Van chuckled, gaze going out of the window once more. "I thought it was Pete or Clark. I didn't realize…wow."

"It's not a big deal." The girl mumbled, taking the next right. "I just haven't found the right guy I suppose."

"I don't think I've ever had this conversation with anyone else." Van commented pensively.

"Me neither." Chloe admitted.

The two shared embarrassed smiles before she finally came to a stop, parking.

"This is it." Van declared with a clearing of his throat, opening the door and slipping out, staring at the darkening sky. "So, five dollars says its chupacabra."

"Hmmmm." Chloe smiled as she grabbed her bag and slipped out as well, slamming her door shut. "Five its aliens."

"Aliens." Van snickered in dark amusement, grabbing his bag and slamming the door shut as well. "Next thing we'll be talking _witches_."

Snorting at his amusement, Chloe stared up at the sunset, gave a smile, and then turned to him so that they could get set up while there was still some light in the sky.

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**TBC**


	7. An Alliance Is Born

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle**

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"My ass is numb." Van hissed to Chloe as they laid under the cover of the bushes, their night vision equipment aimed towards the Jenkins cows grazing peacefully in the fields.

"Then change position." She hissed back, laying on her stomach, camera in hand. "Just don't make too much noise and give away our position."

"Yes Major General!" He saluted mockingly before wincing as he followed her orders and changed to a different position. "My ass is tingling now."

Chloe's lips twitched in amusement as she tried to feel annoyed by his constant complaints. "Are you always such a cry baby or is it just with me?"

"Just with you." He quipped. "You're special."

"Lucky me." The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Did you bring anything for us to chew on while we're waiting on Chupie?" Van wanted to know. "I'm hungry."

"No, I didn't bring anything to eat. We're on a stake out."

"In the movies the cops always have donuts and coffee on their stakeout."

"They weren't tracking a possible supernatural creature." Chloe turned her gaze on him finally. "It would have better smelling than us even if it was just an animal, and the smell of food and coffee would alert it to our presence."

"Damned animal." Van grumbled. "I'm hungry."

"Why does Dawn Stiles put up with you?" Chloe asked in shock.

His smile went lecherous immediately. "Because I have a big di-."

Chloe reached out and covered his mouth.

He grinned evilly from beneath her hand.

Chloe opened her mouth when suddenly the cows made a strange sound, catching both of their attention as the teens turned their gazes to their respective night vision cameras, searching the herd and surrounding for whatever could be making the cattle so uneasy.

Suddenly Van froze. "What the-?"

Chloe aimed her lens in the direction he was, trying to see what he did, and yet it took a couple of minutes of intensive searching before her night vision zoomed in on what he'd caught. "Is that-?"

"Oh fuck!" Van dropped his camera, the sound of the thud causing the creature to stop at the outskirts of the herd and turn its gaze on her. "It's a werewolf! It's a goddamn werewolf!"

"It's not a werewolf." Chloe hissed at him, pointing to the crescent moon above their heads. "And keep quiet!"

Van's wide eyes proved that he had a lot of questions, but he remained silent, raising his screen to get a better view of what was out there.

Chloe gulped as she returned her gaze to her own screen, finding the creature's gaze in their direction. It looked like a pure white wolf at first glance, and yet there was something about it that betrayed that it wasn't a normal wolf. Maybe it was something in its body, in those eyes that nearly glowed in the darkness, but that wasn't a normal wolf.

The blonde gulped, following the creature's movement as it turned and charged the cattle.

Van gulped, his hand reaching out and resting on top of Chloe's on the grass.

She jumped a little at the touch, sending him a sideways glance before returning her gaze to her screen, continuing to watch the massacre, feeling horrible for the cattle and yet too afraid to betray her hiding place.

There was no sense to the massacre, the creature killing the cattle closest to it, yet never stopping to consume its kill.

While most normal creatures killed to eat, to survive, it was obvious that hunger wasn't behind this thing's actions. It killed, it destroyed, and then once it noticed lights coming on in the house it took off in the opposite direction fast as lightning. It was more than obvious that the objective here was to maim and hurt...Farmer Jenkins. She followed the creature's rapid movements with her night vision until she couldn't make it out anymore.

A ragged sigh escaping from Van's lips proved that he too had been doing the same. "What the hell?"

Chloe turned her screen on him, seeing his wide-eyed expression. "We have a wolf on the loose in Smallville."

"That wasn't a wolf!" Van hissed, lips parting. "It was way too muscular! And, and, it just wasn't right!"

Chloe chewed her bottom lip, gaze going towards the house. "We need to get out of here before Farmer Jenkins arrives."

"Way ahead of you." Van was already up, pulling her by their connected hands as he began to sprint towards the car, pulling her behind him.

Chloe tried to keep up and not trip, and when they finally made it to her car her hand was released as both teens raced inside and slammed the doors, locking them instantly. The key found home, the ignition purred to life, and Chloe eased out of the hiding place despite Van's insistence that she floor it, refusing to leave tire tracks that might lead back to her and her baby. The blonde played it cool behind the wheel, hissing for Van to calm the fuck down, before finally they were in traffic once more heading towards the school, where Van's truck had been left.

"What are we going to do about this?" Van wanted to know, now less nervous and instead revved up. "We have the thing on video! That is so awesome!" He grinned brightly. "We should upload this to youtube."

Chloe rolled her eyes, yet her lips twitched in amusement. "We can't do that until we crack the story, Van. Tonight was just a break in the case. Now that we have an idea of what is doing the killing, we need to find out more about it and why it's doing what it is. Only when we have all our facts straight and double-checked, and we have more proof...then the story can feature on the Torch and you can upload the footage to youtube if you still want to."

Van pouted yet didn't say anything else, rewinding the footage and watching it over again. "I need to buy something with better resolution. It's really grainy and the contrast isn't good enough. I mean, I could edit the footage's contrast somewhat on the computer at the Torch, but I still don't think it's going to be much a difference. I'm going to have to buy something that films night vision in HD."

Chloe's lips curled as she realized that Van had caught to the investigative bug.

"So what's the next step then?" Van turned his eyes on her.

"Well, we should check see if the Metropolis Zoo is missing any of its wolves." Chloe replied. "We have to cover all of our bases."

"Fine. I can check that out. My cousin's boyfriend works at the zoo." Van surprised her. "He'd give me the details and I'd just cite him as a "credible, anonymous source"."

Chloe turned to look at him in shock.

Van cleared his throat. "What?"

"I thought you said you never read the Torch or any other newspaper." Chloe narrowed her eyes.

"I don't...didn't..." He mumbled, gaze going away, awkward.

"You liar." She laughed. "I always call my witnesses "credible, anonymous sources"!"

"Okay fine." Van pouted. "I may have picked up an issue of the Torch once in a while in the past. Are you happy now?"

Laughing harder, Chloe shook her head. "You're a man of many mysterious."

"And don't forget it." His pout lifted slightly.

"No sir." Chloe nodded.

"Good." Van stopped the video and closed the screen with a snap, turning to face her. "So I'm guessing I'm going to have to keep this all quiet until we break the news Front Page Feature style."

"Yes." The blonde nodded.

"Dawn's told me I need to quit if I don't actually supply proof soon that I'm not just hanging around with you because I like you."

Chloe raised an eyebrow as she took the corner. "Is she insecure of the time you spend with me?"

"Can you blame her?" Van wanted to know.

Chloe was surprised and flattered. "Huh?"

"Well, you're cute, impulsive, intimidating, and I'm the only guy who you're hanging out alone with now. Makes her think you like me." Van's smile was pure smugness. "Not that I blame her for thinking that way...I mean...I _am_ hot."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe could see the school in the distance. "If I know a guy has a girlfriend, he immediately becomes unappealing in my opinion."

"Seriously?" Van asked, shocked. "So you're saying that if I wasn't with Dawn you'd be attracted to me?"

She thought that one over, sending him a sideway look. "Why not? As you so arrogantly stated, you are 'hot'."

"Damn." Van blinked, eyeing her curiously. "I'm flattered."

A little embarrassed, Chloe chuckled as she shook her head, not commenting further on this topic.

"Just for the record, and this is "off the record" cause Dawn would kill me, but if I didn't have a girlfriend you'd be attractive to me too."

Chloe blinked, blushing slightly as she sent him a sideways glance before turning into the school parking lot. "Duly noted."

"Good."

Driving up to his truck, Chloe stopped the car. "Thanks for coming with me tonight."

"Someone's gotta watch your back." Van replied, putting his stuff in his backpack.

Chloe smiled softly at that, opening her mouth to thank him when her phone ring. "Sit back for a sec please." She leaned across him, opening the dashboard and grabbing her phone, closing the lid once more as her gaze went to the caller ID, raising an eyebrow.

It was Fordman.

"The hell?" Since when did he call her? And how had he gotten her number?

"Since when does Whitney Fordman call you?" Van made up his face, basically asking what she was thinking.

"Since never." Frowning, Chloe emerged from the car and closed the door, leaning against it as she gazed towards the field, which was hidden behind the school building but the lights still on proved that the guys were probably still practicing, or just finishing. Pursing her lips, she answered, bringing the phone to her ear. "How did you get my number?"

"Magic." Was his wise-ass answer.

Rolling her eyes as she heard Van's door close, Chloe half turned and gave him a little wave before sighing, gaze going back to the bright lights backlighting the school. "So to what dubious reason do I owe this phone call?"

"I need a ride." He replied.

Her gaze scanned the parking lot, realizing belatedly that his truck wasn't around. "What happened to your truck?"

"I'll explain it later." He declared. "So will you give me the ride or what?"

She let out a little breath. "I guess."

"Please, hold your enthusiasm in check." He snarked.

She smirked. "Don't push it buddy."

Van came around the side of her car. "Everything okay?"

She covered the receiver and nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry." She smiled at him before blowing at a blonde strand of hair that fell into her face. "Thanks again."

Van reached shucked his hands into his jacket's pockets, looking uncomfortable yet determined. "If Fordman's giving you grief, just tell him to get lost or I'll deal with him."

Her smile grew, wondering when he'd started acting like an older brother to her. "I'll let him know that."

"See you later then." Van grinned, heading towards his truck.

Chloe smiled at his retreating figure, sweeping a wind-blown strand out of her face and behind her ear as she watched him hop into his truck.

"Oh god, I'm going to puke at such display of corniness." Whitney's voice mumbled in her ear.

Sighing, remembering that she had him on the line, the blonde's gaze went to the school steps to see Fordman slowly coming down towards her. Considering she'd be talking to him face to face she hung up the phone call and waited for him, leaning against her car.

Whitney eyed Van before jogging towards her, shouldering his duffel-bag with sports equipment. "I bet you're wondering how I knew you'd be here."

"Obviously you're in love with me and it's made you a stalker." Chloe sighed as if a huge burden had been placed on her shoulders.

Whitney rolled his eyes. "The correct answer was: I spelled you."

"Wait, what?" Chloe turned towards him in shock.

"Well, actually, I spelled your parking space." Whitney admitted, eyeing the space the car was resting on. "Have you noticed that no one else really ever parks here? It's like unofficially reserved for you or something."

"I'm here earlier than most getting the Torch ready for publication." Chloe responded, eyebrow raised. "No one's around usually so I get to pick my own space and this one is right outside the Torch's windows so I can keep an eye on it while I'm there."

"Oh." He leaned against her car, hands in his jersey's pockets. "So, I've decided not to go to the Talon anymore."

Her eyes widened, shocked. "What? Why?"

"If I wanted to belong to something in which the adult abused the teenager, I'd stay home." He sneered, shaking his golden head, before his gaze slid to her. "Nell shouldn't have done that to you…no matter how annoying you are."

Chloe leaned hard against her car, her head turned towards him, a little humbled while amused at the same time. "Thanks."

"How's your throat?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Halls candies she'd been sucking ever since the happening, trying to cool down the burning in her throat. "I'll survive."

He cleared his throat, gaze going to where Van's truck had been. "So when's McNulty getting voted off the island?"

"Excuse me?" Chloe eyed him in confusion.

"Oh come on, don't play coy." Whitney smirked. "Everyone knows he's just replacing Clark and Pete. Now that you got them back you've got no use for him."

"I don't use people." She frowned at him. "I admit I only asked Van to help me because Clark and Pete were no longer around, but I honestly like him and I'm not going to just push him to the side because they're back in my life."

"Whatever." He gazed away. "Found anything interesting tonight?"

"Actually, yeah." Chloe motioned for him to get into her car as she slipped inside, locking her door.

Whitney slid into the passenger's seat and locked his own door, throwing his duffel-bag on the back seat as he turned towards her. "What's up?"

Chloe already had the camera ready, pressing play as she showed him the video of the attack on Farmer Jenkins' cattle.

Whitney hissed as he leaned in closer to her to get a better look. "Jesus."

"I know." She flinched, unable to watch this without feeling so sorry for the cattle. "Thing is it killed a number of them and never fed once."

Whitney made a face. "But didn't we learn that predators only kill to eat?"

"Exactly." Chloe paused the video on a close up of the creature as it turned to look towards them. "There was just something off about this thing. Van thought it was a werewolf but the lunar cycle is completely off."

"What about a skinwalker?"

"Huh?" Chloe turned to face him.

He turned to face her. "I've read about it in some of the green magic books Nell leant me. Apparently there were some strong shamans who could use herbs and stuff like that to go into a trance and actually shift into animals. It's rare…but a definite possibility." He shrugged. "And we are a town of witches, so it's not really too 'out there'."

Chloe leaned hard against her seat, shutting the screen and turning off her camera. "A skinwalker."

He mimicked her actions, eyeing her. "I could try find out more detailed info on skinwalkers for you if you want. I could probably find the ritual for the transformation, and the herbs needed, and we could figure out from there who would sell what was needed and who buys those things…and see if we can tie in some sort of grudge against Farmer Jenkins."

Chloe eyed him in shock. "You'd do that?"

He smirked. "I'm not saying I'll make it my priority or anything, but considering I'm not going to be going to the Talon anytime soon I'm going to have some free time on my hands and will need something to keep me occupied."

"Thanks." She gave him probably the first genuine smile that she had since she'd known him. "That would mean a lot to me."

He grinned at her.

"So," Chloe put her key in the ignition. "Straight to your home right?"

"Nope." Whitney shook his head as she began reversing out of her parking space. "We're going to yours."

"I don't remember agreeing to this." She stopped the car and turned to look at him. "Why are we going to mine?"

"Because everyone knows your father lives at the Luthorcorp facility, and if we're not going to be taking direction from Nell anymore, we need your family's book." Whitney surprised her by saying. "My douchebag of a father will never tell me where his is, Clark's mother says she's waiting until he's twenty one to give him his, Pete's mom probably burnt hers after she became all "holy"...so that leaves you and Arkin as the only two who have a slight chance of finding your family's books." The Quarterback raised an eyebrow at her. "And I am not going to spend time alone with Arkin. We'll end up killing each other…or ourselves."

That was probably true. "So, how long do you think we have until Nell realizes you bailed on her too?"

"Oh, I quit _outright_. She knows." Whitney snorted.

Her eyes widened in shock. "She must have been _ecstatic_."

"I'm not going to voluntarily be around an adult who'd physically bully someone younger and with less power than them." Whitiney's features were grave as his gaze slid away. "I have enough of that on the field to take it in any other part of my life."

Chloe frowned at him slightly, having known about Whitney's dad from Greg, but surprised to hear about this news. "You're getting bullied?"

"It's not bullied." He frowned at her, looking around before clearing his throat. "If any hint of this gets on the Torch I will burn it down, do you get me?"

"Like crystal." She leveled her gaze with him.

Whitney cleared his throat before leaning closer. "Coach Arnold? He's a witch too."

"Coach Arnold?" Chloe's eyes widened.

"Yeah." Whitney nodded. "He has a really "fiery" temper, and uses that to keep us all in line."

"Fiery as in...?"

"Fiery." His blues met her greens.

"Oh wow." Chloe blinked, leaning harder against her seat, turned fully towards Whitney. "I can see why you wouldn't leave the team like Nell wanted."

"Nah, that was because I love the game." Whitney grinned at her lopsidedly. "Though, I would pay good money to see those two square off if she'd insisted I leave the team and went to the coach about it. They're both intimidating in their own way."

Chloe eyed him silently, taking in the Quarterback she'd never really thought about before other than as the School Jock or Lana's Drone, and she felt a little guilty for being so closed-minded against him for so long. "So, any idea where we're supposed to begin looking? Because I tried my dad's room already and that was a lost venture."

Whitney grinned brighter. "Well, I say we take your house room by room. There might be some sort of hidden door or something."

Shifting gears, Chloe exited the parking lot, easily joining the traffic on the road as they drove towards her home. "This seems so unreal to me."

"To me too." Whitney admitted, pulling on his seatbelt. "Apparently Lana always knew she would awaken to her powers, but the rest of us? Our parents kept it on the down-low."

"I don't get why." Chloe made a face. "I mean, I understand that they'd had a brush with the Witch-Hunters and that Greg's dad died as a result of it...but still. They knew we'd have powers and they had to have known that the Witch-Hunters would come back for our circle. So why not tell us and prepare us?"

"Maybe they hoped that if we didn't know we wouldn't manifest?" Whitney shrugged. "I know my old man lost his powers before my birth so he might have even thought that I wouldn't be born with any."

That was a thought.

"Who do you think they'll get for the fifth and sixth?" Chloe stopped at a red light despite the fact that there was no traffic around her.

"Good question." Whitney pursed his lips in thought. "I honestly don't know who else in Smallville are witches other than Coach Arnold. I know that there are supposed to be a few other families around, but Nell thinks they're inferior, which is why she let her own circle fall to nothing instead of starting a new one." He scratched his cheek. "I think she's going to campaign to get us back."

"Fat chance." Chloe mumbled, hand going to her throat as she pressed on the gas when the light turned green.

Whitney sent her a sideways glance. "Still that bad?"

"I feel like I'm scratched up inside." She admitted.

Whitney didn't answer, just looked away out his window.

They continued the drive in silence until they reached her home, the two blondes sharing a look before squaring their shoulders and emerging from the car, clear on their mission.

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**TBC**


	8. The Calm Before The Storm

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Secret Circle

A/N: Timeline-wise it is side-by-side with events in Secret Circle. It is around Season One of Smallville...with alterations of course. And Lex Luthor has not arrived in Smallville up until this point in the story.

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"Your house has too many rooms!" Whitney complained, laying on the couch, beat.

Chloe lounged on the lazy boy, just as tired from having combed the downstairs guest room and the laundry room as well as the linen closets and the garage. "You are seriously dedicated." She chuckled, remembering the sight of Whitney Fordman checking under sinks and beds and behind the washer and dryer. "I'm actually impressed at how you went the extra mile."

"That's a Quarterback for you." And yet Whitney was too tired to deliver that with his usual smugness. "We always give a hundred and ten per cent."

"Can I quote you on that for the Torch?" Chloe murmured tiredly.

"Sure. Just as long as it's not an "ironic" quote if I mess up on the field."

"Purely in a good way." She promised.

"You have my permission then. Quote away." Whitney yawned.

The girl stared up at her ceiling. "Shouldn't there be an easier way to do this?"

"You mean like a spell?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah." She turned her gaze towards him.

"No, and that's good." Whitney turned his gaze towards her. "Imagine if there was. That means anyone could use the spell and find our books."

He had a very good point. "I see."

He nodded, returning his gaze to the ceiling.

A knock sounded on the door.

Chloe sat up and turned to look at it with a frown.

Whitney turned towards her once more. "You expecting someone?"

"No."

The Quarterback moved quickly, standing as he headed towards the door.

"What are you-?"

"This is Smallville. There are possible skinwalkers around." He mumbled over his shoulder before peering out of the peephole and then relaxing, unlocking the door and swinging it open. "What are you two doing here?"

"Us?" Pete made up a face. "What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out." The Quarterback declared.

Clark eyed Whitney with a confused expression. "Since when do you and Chloe hang out?"

"Since now." Whitney then turned and walked away, leaving the door open and the two standing there, returning to lay on the sofa. "You know, we should probably order pizza or something."

Pete and Clark entered, locking the door behind them as they came to where Whitney and Chloe were.

"Hey guys." Chloe gave them a little smile, it had been a very long time since they'd been at her home.

"Hey." Pete shrugged off the oddness of Whitney being around, throwing himself on the loveseat. "We came to see how you were doing."

"How's your throat?" Clark wanted to know, sitting down next to Pete. "We came by earlier but no one was around."

"She was out with McNulty for hours." Whitney butted into the conversation. "They've got a maybe skinwalker on film."

"Skinwalker?" Clark made up his face.

"Seriously?" Pete's eyes widened. "You need some serious juju to do that sort of magic!"

Whitney nodded his agreement.

"Is that what's attacking Farmer Jenkins' cattle?" Clark was on the ball.

Chloe nodded, motioning towards her camera.

Clark grabbed it and in minutes he and Pete were reviewing the footage.

Whitney turned to her. "Where's your phone? I'm ordering food."

She pointed towards the kitchen.

"Tell me you don't mind the Meat Lovers Deluxe." And yet he was already on his way to the kitchen and disappeared from sight.

A knock sounded on the door.

Chloe left Pete and Clark watching the video and stood, going to the door and stepping up on her tiptoes to peer out of the peephole, blinking at who she saw. The blonde unlocked the door and opened it. "Greg."

"I brought beer." He lifted the case before entering, looking around. "Nice digs." He mosied on into the livingroom and left the beer on the coffee table before leaning over the loveseat and staring at the video the boys were watching. "Damn. Did you get this tonight during one of your Nancy Drew outings?"

"They're thinking skinwalker." Pete looked up at Greg.

"Someone's got a grudge if they're going to that extent to ruin Farmer Jenkins." Greg whistled.

Chloe just stared at the scene going on in her livingroom, shaking her head before turning to close the door...when she noticed a shadow slowly making its way towards the house. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped outside, trying to make out the figure...before her eyes widened in shock. "Lana?"

The brunette looked up from where she'd been walking and apparently practicing what she was going to say. "Uh, hi!" She blinked, suddenly noticing Clark's truck and Greg's motorcycle. "I see some of the guys had the same idea."

"They're inside." Chloe leaned in the doorway as the brunette hurried up the steps and stood awkwardly in front of her.

"I'm here to see how you're doing and to apologize for my aunt." Lana gulped, obviously uncomfortable. "I know her heart's in the right place, and she's only trying to help us, but sometimes she has boundary issues and she clearly crossed a line today. So I'm here to apologize for that."

Chloe stared at the other girl, surprised. "You don't have to apologize. You weren't the one who did it."

"I mightn't have been the one to do it, but like Aunt Nell likes to say over and over again, I'm the leader of this circle." Lana took in a deep breath, hazel eyes meeting Chloe's. "That means that the members of this circle are mine to protect and look out for. And I seriously failed you today. So I'm sorry."

Chloe was floored, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"So are you okay?" Lana asked softly. "How's your throat?"

"I'm sucking on Halls losenges all day...but other than that I'm great." Chloe gave the girl a genuine smile, moving out of the way. "Come on in."

Lana smiled brightly at her, relief visible on her face and in her body language. "Thank you."

Chloe smiled a little brighter as the girl walked in, locking the door behind her.

Whitney emerged from the kitchen, eyed the two newcomers, and made a face. "I'm going to have to double my order." And with that he returned to the kitchen.

Lana sent Chloe a curious expression before shaking her head and going to where Greg was. "What are we watching?"

"Hey Lana." Clark and Pete said simultaneously.

"Hey guys." She smiled, leaning down and staring down at the video, her smile fading as she turned her head towards Chloe. "Was that filmed in Smallville?"

"Farmer Jenkins' place."

"This is what's been mutilating his cattle?" Lana frowned darkly, returning her gaze to the video as it ended.

"Apparently popular theory is skinwalker." Greg shrugged.

"It could be many things." Lana frowned. "We should show this to Aunt Nell."

"No." Chloe shook her head. "This is my investigation and I do not want her involved in it in any way."

"But she knows more than us." Lana frowned slightly. "She could know something about this sort of thing, like if it's happened in the past."

"I'm willing to take that risk." Chloe replied.

Lana sighed but didn't push the issue.

"What about your family's book?" Pete wanted to know curiously. "Couldn't you just look through it yourself?"

Lana sighed. "Aunt Nell bequeathed it to me...but she still keeps it until I've "shown her I'm ready to handle it and the power it holds"."

"So basically she hasn't really given it to you." Greg declared.

"She's holding it for me." Lana assured him. "Whenever I ask her for it she usually gives it to me."

"So you have to ask her for it." Clark cleared his throat. "I don't mean to cause any friction between you and Nell or anything, but it sounds like you're borrowing it."

Lana bit her bottom lip.

"So, what's our first move?" Pete turned to Chloe, smile growing. "Maybe check the Metropolis Zoo to make sure they haven't lost any wolves?"

The blonde cleared her throat. "Van's in charge of that."

Pete's smile faltered. "Van McNulty?"

"Do we have any other Van in our school?" Chloe folded her arms over her chest.

"Why is he involved in this?" Pete wanted to know.

"Because he's my photographer. He was there when this happened." Chloe replied.

"About that..." Pete cleared his throat. "Clark and I want to go back to the Torch, now that we don't have to stay away to keep the secret and all that."

"Great." Chloe nodded. "Pete, you can take over the Sports section, and Clark, since Melinda is graduating you can take over the School Life section."

"The Sports section?" Pete blinked. "That's-a lot. I was thinking about getting back my old job."

"Van's doing the photographing now." Chloe replied straightforwards. "He stepped up when I didn't have anyone I could count on." She raised her hand when she saw him about to complain. "I get why it happened now, but it happened, and Van stepped up. I'm not going to chuck him off to the side now that I don't need him." She folded her arms over her chest. "And anyway, we've become something like friends since working together. And I wouldn't do that to a friend."

Pete sighed. "Okay. Fine. I get that." He made a face. "Plus, Sports section means I get to say whatever I want about Whitney's performance."

"Give me a bad review and you'll wake up freaky somehow." Whitney threatened halfheartedly, still lying on the couch.

"Why are you so tired?" Clark wanted to know, eyebrow raised.

"Practice was hell." Whitney grumbled. "And I'm starving."

Greg turned to Chloe. "I'm going to put these in the fridge."

Chloe nodded, watching him take the six pack to the kitchen, deciding to make sure all evidence was gone before her dad came back home.

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A house was on fire.

Chloe stared at the burning building, slowly coming closer and closer.

"Who are you?"

She turned around to see a blonde with long hair and green eyes coming towards her. "What?"

"Who. Are. You?" The girl, defensive, came at her. "Did you do this? Were you responsible?"

Chloe turned towards the house at the sound of a woman screaming from within. "Someone's still inside."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "It's my mother."

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned towards the other girl. "Then why aren't you doing anything to help her?"

The hostility melted into painful confusion. "Because I can't. This is a dream." She gulped, turning her gaze towards the house. "I wasn't there when it happened."

"If this is a dream...is it your dream or mine?" Chloe asked softly.

The other blonde sent her a narrowed look. "I think...mine."

"Then why am I here?" Chloe frowned.

The other blonde bit down on her bottom lip. "I don't know."

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Gasping awake, Chloe looked around her, a little disoriented as to why she was in the living room. It took her a moment to remember staying up late with the circle talking about every topic under the sun. It'd started with the different possibilities of what that wolf thing could have been (if not a skinwalker) and then had branched off to football, the Torch, basic magic, and cartoons. It'd been the oddest mix of conversations Chloe had ever had, so diverse and random. And yet she'd had a good time. It was shocking to think that she was enjoying herself with the group she'd dubbed "Lana's Drones" and had quite detested/resented for so many months now.

Clark and Pete had ended up texting their parents telling them they'd be spending the night at Chloe's used to that by now and not even thinking about it. Whitney and Greg had quickly followed suit, letting their mothers know. Lana was the only one who actually asked Chloe if it was okay if she slept over given the fact that she'd walked over, and Chloe had quickly agreed to it.

While there were guest bedrooms (two to be exact) no one had ended up sleeping in any of them.

Lana had ended on on the loveseat, curled up, Whitney had completely claimed the sofa as his, while Greg, Clark and Pete were on the floor. She hadn't moved from the Lazyboy and had managed to sleep pretty decently thanks to that.

Soda cans and empty pizza containers were everywhere, and at least she'd made sure the beer cans were in Mr McGuire's garbage container outside long before her father returned last night so there was no problem there.

Chloe sat up, just looking at everyone, before slowly rising from her seat and tiptoeing upstairs. She peeked in to find that even though it was a Saturday morning her father was already gone to work, and so she bathed in her room, changed into something comfy before hurrying back downstairs. A glance into the livingroom proved that everyone were still sleeping, the blonde heading into the kitchen and checking the cupboards and such, wondering what to make. Her father had always taught her that when people were over she had to be the best hostess (her mother had apparently been the queen at that sort of thing) and Chloe was not about to lose out to her mother.

Since she really didn't have anything in the house that could suit the quantity of people except for eggs, Chloe grabbed her apron and began scrambling some eggs. Thankfully she didn't have to wake up those inside, since one by one she could hear mumbling and groans in the living room, as Greg and Pete appeared, both still half asleep as they sat down by the table. She placed their plates in front of them and went back to preparing the next batch, watching the boys beginning to eat mechanically, a smirk on her face.

Clark was the next one through the door, collapsing in the seat next to Pete, resting his forehead against the surface of the table. "I'm never having alcohol ever again. It's evil."

"Don't be such a wuss." Greg mumbled into his fork.

Finally Whitney and Lana trudged inside, Lana offering to help in any way she could despite the fact that she looked half asleep.

Sharing the rest of the scrambled eggs and toast amongst everyone, Chloe put the plates down before grabbing her own and joining them, sitting down.

Slowly conversation began as everyone woke up, although some were clearly suffering from hangover even if they'd only had one beer each.

"Put your herbal knowledge to use and make some sort of hangover potion." Clark instructed Whitney.

"Why?" The Quarterback raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't going to drink alcohol ever again."

"Just in case I give into peer pressure again." He mumbled.

"So what are everyone's plan for today?" Lana wanted to know, voice hoarse.

"Got to help dad on the farm." Clark mumbled, looking at his watch. "I have to leave right after I finish eating."

"I'm gonna catch a ride with him to mine because I have to do housework." Pete made a face. "Mom and dad are getting suspicious that I'm, you know, "into the occult" and I think they want to keep me at home so that I don't do something "unchristian"."

Chloe made a face at that one.

"I'll catch a ride with you too." Whitney swallowed his bite of toast. "I promised mom I'd help her get rid of some shit from the garage."

Greg sent Lana a look. "I can give you a ride back to Nell's."

"Thanks." She gave him a little smile.

Soon everyone was finished eating and gone, Chloe finishing washing up the dishes before collapsing on the sofa with a little tired moan.

The phone rang loudly in the kitchen.

Groaning, Chloe contemplated just letting it ring, and she did just that, but when it began ringing once more after only two seconds of silence she forced herself off of the sofa and into the living room, grabbing the receiver from the phone on the wall. "Sullivan Residence, how may I help?"

"I'm calling to check up." A voice declared, and it took her a couple of seconds to recognize it.

"_John_." Eyes widening, still not sure how to refer to him considering she still wasn't exactly sure how they were related, Chloe pulled a blonde strand out of her face. "I'm doing fine, thanks. How about you? You left in a hurry."

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "There was an issue I needed to look into right away."

"Is everything alright now then?" She asked curiously. "Was the issue…resolved?"

"I'm still working on it." He declared vaguely. "What about you? How are things in Smallville?" His voice lowered. "Have you had any more interactions with the circle there?"

"Yeah, they've just gone home actually. There was an impromptu sleepover at my house last night." Somehow, she could feel the disapproval in his silence, and frowned slightly. "I might have broken up the circle though."

"Huh?" He made weird sound.

"I quit the unofficial circle, and under the circumstances Whitney Fordman quit as well, so the circle's down two members." She pursed her lips in thought. "You wouldn't think so with the way we all hung out last night, but no way am I going to join a circle headed up by Nell Potter. Because she might _say_ Lana's the leader, but she's _definitely_ the one doing the bossing and controlling, and making all of the decisions."

"You're a very smart young woman." His disapproval was gone, replaced by approval.

"Not really, it's really obvious actually." She turned and leaned her back against the wall. "Whitney says he thinks that Nell is going to try and get us back, which, _tough_. I'm not joining anything that has to do with her after what she did."

"What _did_ she do?"

Chloe looked up at the ceiling. "I was being rebellious, so she made an example of me by casting this spell on me that made it impossible for me to breath."

There was silence, and then a growl. "She did _what_?"

"It's okay though." Chloe quickly assured him, not sure why she felt that if she didn't something might happen to Nell Potter. "I did the wordless magic you said I could, and it was so weird because I wasn't even _trying_ to. But it was like right as I'm beginning to lose consciousness from lack of breath something inside of me was let loose and the ripples of the explosion sent her flying so hard into the wall that the things on the shelves fell down on top of her."

There was silence, and then: "Does she know what you did?"

"Uh, considering I threw her against the wall-." Chloe started.

"Chloe." John cut her off short, curt. "Does Nell Potter know what sort of magic you used on her?"

"Of course. Lana said that Nell was shocked that I could perform wordless magic this soon." Chloe felt horribly smug at that. "Lana can't even do it yet, and to quote Greg, Lana's the Super Child of Awesome."

John let out a little sigh, which sounded relieved. "She hasn't realized. That's good."

Chloe frowned, a little confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Have you kept the necklace I gave you hidden?" John asked her urgently. "Have you kept it safe?"

She wanted to quip a Lord of the Rings style answer, but could sense the urgency in this and knew it wouldn't be smart to be a wise-ass. "Of course. I have it on me all the time, under my shirt. No one's seen it. Not even my dad."

"Good. Keep it that way." John cleared his throat. "There's so much that I need to tell you, and I'd like nothing better than to return to Smallville and have a _very_ long conversation with you, but for right now I'm going to have to stay here."

She wanted to ask where "here" was, but John had already proved to be a very private person, so instead she changed the topic. "Do you have an email address?"

He paused. "Why do you need my address?"

"Well," she cleared her throat, wondering exactly what John had to hide that he was so secretive. "In lieu of going to Nell for help, I was wondering if _you_ could help me in an issue I'm having."

"Go on."

"Well, you wouldn't know this but I'm my high school's newspaper editor-."

"I know this."

She paused, surprised. "Really?"

He hesitated before clearing his throat. "I subscribe to the online version of the Torch. You have talent for discovering secrets others wish to remain hidden."

She had to admit it, she was flattered as hell. "Thank you."

"So I'm assuming this has something to do with a story you're writing." John returned the conversation onto the right track.

"Yes." She nodded, getting back to business. "You see, Farmer Jenkins is having a really bad cattle mutilations thing going on, and a friend of mine and I caught what's doing it on tape. It's a wolf, and yet it clearly isn't. I have him checking out all of the normal sides to what this could be, and Whitney says he'll use his herbal knowledge to figure out if someone's skin walking in Smallville…and…"

"Do you have it on tape?" He interrupted.

"Yes. All the gory details." She twirled the telephone cable around her finger.

"Send it to me."

"I'd need your email." She reminded.

He sighed before mumbling a very weird email address that had no sort of personal information whatsoever, GenericAddress .

John Blackwell was _definitely_ a man of many mysteries.

It made Chloe even curiouser.

On impulse she asked something she probably shouldn't have. "Do you know what a Balcoin is? Because whatever it is, it owes me a new computer."

There was utter silence, and then: "_Where did you hear that_?"

"Would you believe me if I said I overheard some robed dudes in the woods saying it?"

"Why didn't you tell me this when I was there?" He snapped at her.

"It's not like you were here very long, were you?" She frowned at him, not appreciating the attitude.

"Do the people know you heard them?"

"No."

"Chloe this is important." He stressed that last word. "Life and death."

The blonde gulped.

"Does anyone know that you say or heard that exchange?"

"No." She promised, sure of it.

"Good. Keep it that way." He cursed softly. "Did this happen before or after you were awoken power-wise?"

"The night of."

"Damn it!" He hissed. "This isn't good."

"What's going on?" Chloe was beginning to get very worried. "What's a Balcoin? Is it a bad thing?"

"Don't repeat that, especially not in front of anyone else." John ordered. "If Cassie wasn't so damned stubborn I'd be back on my way to Smallville right now with what I need to protect you _all_."

Cassie?

Who was that?

"Protect us?" Chloe decided to touch on that instead. "From what? Are the Witch-Hunters really coming for us like Nell says?"

"Chloe." John sighed. "I can't say anything on the phone, but I need you not to mention this to anyone. No matter how much you trust them. I will return as soon as I can and then I will explain _everything_ to you. I promise."

"Okay." Chloe held onto the receiver.

There was a knock in the background. "I have to go. Be careful." And with that he hung up.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe hung the receiver, far from the relaxed state she'd been in before this conversation.

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**TBC**


	9. Attacked (Part One)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Considering that her laptop had committed suicide the other night, Chloe was forced to go into school to use the computers at the Torch. She uploaded the video from her camera, hesitating before uploading the file with the "B" word in it. She downloaded the files onto a dvd, sending the one with the wolf to John before deleting the data off of the computer. The blonde stared at the dvd in her hand before slipping it into a cover and into her bag, staring around her, wondering exactly what she was going to do now. She couldn't write up an article about last night, not even a draft, not while they still had so many questions. And even if she had answers Chloe didn't know if she'd be able to get her head in the right frame of mind to write them.

Balcoin.

What the hell was a Balcoin?

Freaky cloak-covered dudes whispered about it in the middle of the night while in the forest.

Her computer preferred Seppuku rather than to give her any information on it.

And John Blackwell, a seemingly put together guy with all sorts of knowledge, was completely frazzled by it.

So what was a Balcoin?

And could she wait for John to finish whatever mystery mission he was on and come back to explain things to her?

Her curiosity was killing her as it was!

Worrying her bottom lip, Chloe grabbed her bag and searched for her keys, heading towards the door as she cast her gaze behind her to make sure she hadn't left anything. Once she was sure of that she locked the Torch's office door behind her and made her way down the empty halls towards the front doors. She'd been given a pair of keys because she'd hassled the teachers and cut into their own time by staying late to tend to the Torch, and they'd all decided that for the sake of their own free time and sanity that she could be trusted with these keys.

Stopping by her locker, Chloe frowned as she noticed the piece of paper sticking out.

Had it been here when she'd walked by before?

If so, she hadn't noticed it before.

Going towards the locker, Chloe yanked the envelope out and opened it, revealing the paper inside.

There were no points for originality...because this wasn't the first insulting or threatening letter she'd ever recieved...and it definitely wasn't the first that'd had words cut out and pasted on the paper.

The only thing was that whoever had sent this to her was...a weirdo.

"I kNoW wHo YoU aRe" the note read.

"So does everyone else in this school. And town." She snorted, far from impressed as she scrunched the note into a ball and threw it into her bag, heading back towards the doors.

It reminded her though that she had yet to open what Justin had sent via Van, and the girl stopped and began rummaging through her bag before finding the manila envelope. She opened it and slipped out the paper, grinning mischievously at the drawings inside. A year ago, after discovering that the quiet kid who sat next to her in History was a drawing genius, she'd asked him to contribute any of his funnier doodles sometimes to the Torch, and Justin started the Torch's very own comic strip named: The Ville High. The characters were obviously based on real people at the school, and it made it a very popular piece considering he tended to parody current happenings.

The blonde turned and made her way right back to the Torch office and unlocked the door, stepping in and freezing.

The papers slipped from her fingers and cascaded to her feet.

The Torch was a mess.

How-?

HOW could this have happened?

She'd been gone for no more than five minutes!

How could all of this have happened during that little amount of time?

Suddenly the door was slammed shut behind her and the person who'd been hiding behind it grabbed her by her hair, yanking her back into the door.

Giving a little cry, dazed by the unexpected blow, Chloe's vision was slightly hazy as she tried fighting off the masked man. His hands were at her throat, squeezing tightly, cutting off her air supply and reminding her far too much of Nell's little punishment.

He leaned in, whispering into her ear. "_Scream if you want…no one will hear you_."

Using his nearness to her advantage, Chloe brought her knee up as hard as she could between his legs. "No thank you…but back at you!"

Cursing, the man dropped to the ground, letting go of his hold on her already abused throat. "Bitch!"

Chloe turned to the door to try and open it, but he grabbed her legs and gave a hard tug, causing her to lose balance and fall hard to the floor.

He straddled her, pinning her beneath him as his hands went to her neck once more.

As before with Nell, Chloe could feel something building inside of her. It felt different than when she did magic, felt truer somehow, but she didn't have time to question it as that something erupted from her, causing her blood to burn and her skin to _ripple_ with the power...and she could feel somehow that this wasn't even the full strength of it. Her attacker cried out in shock as he was pulled down flush over her, he tried to move, tried to push away, but he didn't seem able to move, the guy cursing loudly.

The blonde didn't even know what she was doing, almost like a spectator in her own body as she reached up and pulled off the bottom half of his ski mask before pressing her lips to his. He froze completely above her, Chloe's mind a whirlwind of questions as she could feel something slithering within her, almost as if some sort of animal was within her chest, making its way upwards, ticking her throat as it continued its journey.

He cried into her lips, trying to struggle, and on instinct Chloe reached out and clutched the back of his head, her fingers clenching his hair viciously, keeping him still and trapped as she kissed her harder, that tickling feeling continuing its upwards journey before her lips tingled, and he stopped fighting her.

When he began to kiss back, Chloe was jolted out of her near trance and yanked away, greens widening in shock as she witnessed some sort of pink mist escaping her mouth and entering him.

The man threw himself off of her as if hit, clawing at his own mouth and neck, a cry escaping his lips. His actions finally stilled, an odd quiet around him as he sat straddling her on the ground before he gulped, moving as if to kiss her, but when she pulled away he cursed and hurried to his feet before...throwing himself out of the window...glass shattering everywhere as he made off sprinting.

Chloe laid on the floor, hand to her terribly painful throat, almost afraid to stand up.

Exactly what had she just done?

Who was that?

Why had he tried to kill her?

And why trash the Torch?

What was going on?

Was this because she was a witch?

Her eyes widened.

Had that guy been a Witch-Hunter?

Finally sitting up, shaking, Chloe looked around her at the Torch, feeling so horrible violated. This place had always been a sanctuary for her, a refuge, and now it'd been desecrated.

Raising a shaky hand to her face, Chloe reached for her bag and ruffled inside, finding her phone and quickly sent a group text before calling the police.

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"You need to give me the medallion, Cassie." John was getting a little tired of saying the same thing over and over again, but he could see the distrust in this girl's eyes. It annoyed him, truly, just how similar and yet opposite this daughter was from his other. If only he'd gotten to her before she'd been indoctrinated by the Circle and her damnable grandmother, then maybe she'd be reaching out to him like Chloe and not putting up such a strong wall between them.

"I don't trust you." Cassie replied just like she had all the time. "You just abandoned my mother and I, you left us to fend for ourselves, all the while knowing that I'd have your Dark Magic and would need you!" Tears and anger were visible in her green eyes. "My mother died. If you hadn't left us she could be still alive!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that had the Witch-Hunters known I was alive they would have come after us all? I was protecting both you and Amelia by staying away."

He could see she wanted to believe him, yet couldn't, not so easily.

Sighing, John placed a hand on her shoulder, staring into her eyes. "I only came here to protect you once I realized you'd found the medallion and had activated it. It's dangerous Cassie." He sighed once more. "I left to keep you safe, and I'm back to keep you safe."

Chloe worried her bottom lip, obviously fighting her desire to believe, the medallion around her neck and resting heavily on her chest.

Suddenly a whiplash of power hit them both, reminding him too much of what'd happened when he'd been with Chloe, and he could feel his firstborn...feel the Dark Magic inside of her activating.

John pulled away from Cassie, severing the connection, hoping that like Chloe, she'd be confused and not sure of what had just happened.

"Who was that?" Cassie, unlike Chloe, was bound to an active circle and knew much more when it came to magic.

He cleared his throat, looking away. "The medallion belongs to our bloodline, it reacted to our touch."

"That wasn't just us." Cassie stepped forwards, defiant. "It's just like when I activated the medallion! I sensed you and I sensed...who is that?"

He moved towards the door. "I have a call I need to make."

"Who are you calling?" Cassie followed after him, determined. "Who is that presence I keep feeling?"

He was shocked at that, at the fact that Cassie could sense Chloe, but then again they were sisters. "Once you start trusting me, I'll start trusting you."

And with that he left Jane's house and walked away swiftly dialing Gabe's number.

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She was getting her key-privileges revoked on the basis that it wasn't safe for anyone to be at the school out of school hours.

Sitting in the back of the ambulance, letting the EMT look her over despite her promising that other than a sore throat she was fine, Chloe was in mourning. Not only had her beloved Torch been ransacked, but she was basically just another student with no more privileges. It sucked. How did they expect her to get the newspaper up and running again if they were restricting the amount of time she could spend preparing?

"Are you sure you didn't get a good look at your attacker?" The deputy asked.

"I'm sure." She groaned, hand on her throat. "I told you all already. He had a ski mask on. I didn't see what he looked like."

"If you remember anything, just give me a call at the sheriff station." The deputy passed her a card before walking away.

Chloe threw it into her bag, annoyed.

When her father heard about this he was going to flip.

He might even expect her to quit the Torch!

The blonde sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the ambulance, mourning the situation even more now.

Her phone rang.

She flinched, not even needing to see the caller ID to know who it was, bringing it to her ear. "Dad, I can explain-."

"Are you hurt? Were you injured? Are you in the hospital?" Gabe Sullivan was desperate.

She flinched. "I'm fine dad. Whatever Principal Kwan told you was probably way exaggerated."

"Come to Luthorcorp. I have a teleconference I can not get out of but I need to see with my own eyes that you're fine."

"Sure." She sighed, throat killing her. "I'll be there as soon as they let me go." She hung up, eyeing the EMT. "Frantic dad. Can I go now?"

"Sure." He nodded. "Just keep taking those pills I gave you, and the losenges. They'll help with the pain and inflamation in your throat."

"Thanks again." She gave him a little smile before fleeing the ambulance and heading to her car.

Paranoia set in and she checked the back seat to make sure no one was hiding there before slipping into the driver's seat and getting out of there. Considering that there was no traffic on the road she made the trip to the Luthorcorp facility relatively quickly, the guard signalling her in as he opened the gates for her, the girl waving to certain employees. Her father had been the manager of the Smallville Luthorcorp fertilizer plant since she was eleven, and she'd grown up around these people so they knew her very well.

That was why, when she was walking passed the conference room and heard a series of curses from Nadine, who never cursed, she stopped and stuck her head in. "Is everything alright?"

"Chloe!" Nadine, her father's secretary, look frazzled. "How are you honey?"

"You sound worse than I do, really." Chloe slipped into the room, seeing the older woman bent over the computer that controlled the large television used for the teleconferences. "What's wrong?"

"We need new computers and such, just because we're one of the smaller of their facilities doesn't mean we should be given their hand me downs." Nadine looked close to tears. "The Teleconference is in a couple of minutes and the darned thing wont work-pardon my french."

"Want me to take a look at it?" Chloe offered.

"Would you?" Nadine sighed. "Thanks doll." She fanned herself. "Is it hot in here or am I menopausing?"

Chloe dropped her bag to the ground as she sat in front of the computer, chuckling. "It's a bit warm."

"Larry keeps turning down the temperature. I keep telling him if he gets cold, bring in a jacket!" Nadine turned and stormed away, probably off to go tell off poor Larry.

Chloe cracked her knuckles and got to work, trying to find out what was wrong with the connection. She sat at the head of the table, sending the large black screen on the opposite wall and wondered why exactly she wasn't even getting static. The blonde got up and went to make sure that the television was actually turned on before ascertaining that it was and returning back to the computer and continuing to troubleshoot.

She was about to give up when suddenly static could be heard, as well as the words "give up" from the television.

Chloe looked up, seeing that the screen wasn't black anymore, instead static filled. "Hello?"

There was a pause, and then a very strained. "Hello?"

She grinned. "Okay, so obviously we're doing something right." The blonde continued running through the different programs and trying to find what settings might have changed. "Are all your cables attached correctly on your end?"

"Yes." The voice answered. "I've been checking online while we were in the black out, and I've been reading a lot of bugs were reported on this software."

"I see." She pursed her lips, having wondered if this wasn't software related. "Do you have skype on your end? If push comes to shove we can always rely on that."

There was a pause. "I doubt Mister Luthor even knows what skype is."

"Neither does Mister Sullivan...so I guess we'll just have to work around what we have now and only use Skype if ultimately necessary." She chuckled, continuing to type rapidly on the keyboard before finally finding something. "Ahuh!" The blonde then looked up as the screen came to life, showing a handsome young man with dark hair and dark eyes.

He paused what he was doing, staring back at her. "Hi."

"Hey." She sat up straighter, feeling a little blush tint her cheeks. "So, uh, situation fixed."

"Yes, it is." He smiled, revealing two deep dimples. "I'll have to tell Mr Luthor that no matter how hard I tried, his IT specialists on the other end were the ones that pulled through."

She was about to admit that the Smallville Facility didn't have IT specialists, when her father opened the door and stepped in, frowning immediately. "I need to speak to you outside. Now."

She gulped, sending the guy a last look before grabbing her bag and hurrying outside, the door closing behind her. "Before you say anything I wasn't just talking with them for the heck of it, I'd fixed the-."

And then her father pulled her into a tight hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead, not letting go.

Feeling him trembling, Chloe dropped her bag and held the shaking man tighter, realizing he was the one who needed the comforting more than she did. "Daddy I'm fine. I really am."

"I'll kill whoever did that to you." He promised her. "If he comes after you again-."

She hugged him tighter. "I doubt whoever that is would be foolish enough to return."

"I'm getting you a tazer." He declared.

She didn't have the heart to tell him she'd had one since she was fourteen, and that the only reason why she hadn't used it was because it was in her bag and she'd lost it during the struggle so she hadn't been able to get at it.

"Is everything alright?" Nadine wanted to know, eyes wide as she came around the corner and saw them.

Gabe pulled away from Chloe, wiping his eyes before clearing his throat. "Yes. Of course."

Chloe turned to Nadine with a little smile. "It's working."

"You are a little magician!" Nadine gave a little coo as she clasped her hands together. "The way you get those darned computers to work is just like magic."

Chloe could only give her an awkward smile. "I can promise you, no magic was used."

Chuckling, obviously finding the girl all too amusing, Nadine turned to Gabe. "It's time sir."

"Yes, of course." Gabe cleared his throat and straightened his clothes before messing Chloe's hair fatherly as he went into the room.

Chloe watched him enter the room and close the door behind him, before turning to Nadine. "Got anything else you want me to check out while I'm here?"

"Well..." Nadine placed her arm around Chloe's shoulders, leading the girl away. "Well, now that you mention it, my computer _is_ giving me some trouble..."

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"My father has no right using you as an IT guy. He has tons of them." Lex Luthor declared as he sat on the balcony, Patricia Swann seated on his lap, feeding him a grape.

"It's fine." Davis Bloome shrugged, gaze on his family's book. "He's also using the conference in his home and it's not like he has IT guys here."

"He could call them though." Oliver Queen pointed out, not looking up from the cards in his hand as he played against his girlfriend. "Right Mercy?"

"Why are you asking me?" Tess Mercer raised an eyebrow, looking up from her cards. "Do I look like I know the ins and outs of this place?"

"Well, you are His Baldness' half sister." Oliver pointed out, never having grown out of teasing Lex. "You should know something."

"Talking about IT people, if your father needs one to install in the house permanently, I say he should take the one from the Smallville facility." Jason smirked as he winked at Lex. "You know it's near _impossible_ to catch Davis' interest, but that technician had this one all flustered. I didn't see her myself since I wasn't facing the screen, but I could see _this guy_ and he _lit up_ when he saw her."

"Shut up." Davis frowned at him.

Jason snickered. "Someone's touchy."

"Will you stop teasing him?" Patricia, ever the mother of the group, raised an eyebrow at Jason. "And anyway, this is hardly the time to be concentrating on cute girls."

"Not even if they're you?" Lex asked his girlfriend of so many years.

She sent him a crooked smile. "Of course not. I'm _beautiful_."

Tess rolled her eyes as she put her cards down on the table. "Patty's right. If the rumors are right and John Balcoin is still alive then this isn't the time to be playing games or gossiping."

Oliver sighed, putting down his own cards now that the game had been ruined. "It's not like that Witch-Hunter was a real trustworthy source."

"It doesn't matter what he said under duress." Tess narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "It's the fact that we've been noticing the Witch-Hunters rallying up and preparing for something. When was the last time they were recorded to be this active?"

Jason leaned back hard on his chair. "During Balcoin's little campaign for power."

"But he died." Oliver frowned. "And with him the Balcoin bloodline."

"That would be exactly what he'd like us to think, wouldn't it?" Tess steepled her fingers thoughtfully. "You would have thought that if the Witch-Hunters had truly killed him that they would taken everyone else out immediately after-not hide in the shadows for all these years as if waiting for something."

"I called this meeting for this exact reason." Lex eyed them. "I have heard whispers that there is a confirmed child of John Blackwell's. A girl. Her mother was a leading member in her circle before she left. A Blake."

"A daughter." Jason leaned forwards immediately. "John Blackwell had a _daughter_."

"This changes things." Davis mumbled, closing his book. "The Blakes were a part of the Chance Harbor circle, right?"

Lex nodded. "Amelia Blake was the leader."

"It would make sense that he'd father a child with the leader of the circle." Patricia declared. "And if she's his only child she'd definitely be the Firstborn."

"I call dibbs." Oliver raised his hand.

Tess smacked him on the side of his head.

"I was joking Mercy!" Oliver flinched, rubbing the side of his head.

Jason and Davis exchanged amused smirks.

Tess continued eyeing Oliver angrily.

Suddenly he jumped, cursing, bringing his hand to his butt. "Jesus! I was serious when I said I was only joking! Stop goddamn burning my ass!"

Tess just looked away, eyebrow raised.

"We're going to have to check this out." Patricia declared. "We need to send someone to scout Chance Harbor."

"Don't look at me." Oliver grumbled, sitting back down. "After what just happened here Mercy would probably slit my throat if I got near to the Balcoin girl."

"Probably?" Tess sneered at him.

Oliver gulped.

"I'm sending you in." Lex eyed Davis. "I want you to be in and out. Be a shadow. Remember that after the Witch-Hunters massacred the old circle there the whole town's suspicious of everyone. Find out discreetly if the rumors are real and if the girl, Cassie Blackwell, is a Balcoin."

"And if she is?" Davis wanted to know.

Lex sat in silence before he finally answered.

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TBC


	10. Attacked (Part Two)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Despite the fact that her father was clearly overprotective now, Chloe somehow managed to get him to not expect her to come to Luthercorp after school every evening. She then went back home with him after he ended his conference call, spending the rest of Saturday on the couch, taking the pain meds and sucking the losenges the EMT had given her. Her father was at her beck and call, so worried and caring and damn, she was a lucky girl to have a father like him. She knew this, and it was because of this that she felt bad later on that night for sneaking out after he'd fallen asleep.

The girl couldn't risk starting the car and waking her father up, alerting him to her on-the-prowlness, so she zipped up her hoodie and began walking. It'd take her a bit to make it there on foot, but she'd told the circle that she'd probably be late so she didn't expect them to whine. Especially not with what she had to say.

Plopping in another soothing losenge, Chloe slipped earphones into her ears and started playing the music on her phone for some sort of company as she continued to walk down the dark road. Some of the lights weren't working, hadn't been working for a long time, and considering the time of night everyone was sleeping so there weren't any lights from the houses helping to light the road. The thing is that despite having recently been attacked, Chloe didn't feel scared. She wondered if it was because the guy had just _thrown himself out of a window_ to get away from her, or maybe it was the way she'd somehow managed to stop the attack in the first place. That magic that's instinctively sprung up and acted on her behalf was within her somewhere, powerful, potent, and it admittedly was making her feel incredibly overconfident all things considered.

Robin Skouteris's "PopLove", a mashup of about 24 different artists, began playing, the blonde turning up the volume on her iPod as she began to walk to the beat, twirling a couple of times. It was thankfully late enough that she could make a fool of herself out in the street and not worry about being seen, the blonde shaking her hips and skipping, laughing at herself as she near danced on her way to the meeting...never noticing the shadow trailing her.

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Lana knelt before her parents' graves, staring at their tombstones. She came here far too often, needing some sort of guidance, some sort sign...and yet time after time all she did was leave with tears in her eyes and an overwhelming fear that there would never be a sign that they were in fact watching over her from above. She pulled out her phone and pressed a button, seeing the screen light up and reveal the time. A sigh escaped her. It was soon going to be time to go to the Talon and have a meeting without Aunt Nell knowing. A part of Lana felt really bad for this deception, but the other part reminded her that it was Aunt Nell's actions that nearly destroyed Lana's circle in the first place.

"Are the Witch-Hunters back?" She asked her parents' graves, knowing that there wouldn't be any answer.

News of Chloe's attack in the high school had made it all over the town, and if Chloe hadn't already texted them all and told them to stay away today and meet her tonight at the Talon without Nell, well...

Lana sighed.

What if it was a Witch-Hunter who'd attacked Chloe?

What did this mean?

And did they stand a chance?

They were officially down two members, there was no way that Lana could see this going with them ending up binding the circle. She was lucky that Whitney and Chloe were still coming to them and not trying to start a circle of their own. They would be in all their right to do so, and while Lana wouldn't blame them if they did she really wanted them to be a part of her circle.

A twig broke.

Twirling around, Lana's eyes widened as she gazed upon the backlit male standing there, a crowbar in hand, before he charged her.

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Considering that it would only be a ten minute drive to the Talon once he got a message tearing him out for being late, confirming that everyone else would already there and he wouldn't be the one who had to wait, Greg was still at home. His mother and he had had another argument, and he couldn't help but resent both his dead father and living mother. His dad had married a girl, never told her that he was magic and so would be their child, and then he'd gone and died. Gotten himself killed. And that irked Greg most nights because no one else had lost a parent other than him to the Witch-Hunters. He liked to think though that his father had been a Big Player in the scheme of things because it was his death that not only broke up the circle for good, but caused the Witch-Hunters to leave.

Letting out a little growl Greg snatched the picture of his mother and father and himself when he'd been a kid, staring at the picture of happiness, unable to remember when this had been taken or anything else about his father.

A part of him hoped that whoever had attacked Chloe today was a Witch-Hunter, because he'd like nothing more than to get back at those bastards for all they'd taken from him. He didn't have a clear memory of his father because they'd killed him. He could never forgive them for that. He wanted blood. And if those Witch-Hunters were fool enough to come back to Smallville after what they'd done then he'd make them regret even knowing this circle existed.

Not that he planned on actually binding the circle...

His mother cried out and something crashed.

Greg ignored it for a second before he realized that he couldn't hear her fretting and cleaning up whatever she'd dropped.

Resting the picture frame on his bedside table once more, Greg stood and strode out of his bedroom, heading towards where he'd heard the crash. "You okay?"

There was nothing but silence.

Eyes narrowing, Greg pressed forwards, knowing that while they argued all the damned time his mother wouldn't purposely ignore him like this. "Mom?"

Entering the kitchen, he stopped short, his mother staring at him with huge, terrified eyes, a man standing behind her with a large knife to her throat.

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His parents were starting to get suspicious.

Pete laid in bed, the bible next to him for when his parents did their last check on him before going to bed like they always did. If they thought he was reading the bible they usually backed off him, but he could see the suspicion in their eyes, especially his mother's. He'd also overheard them talking about the possibility of him having come into his powers, especially with the fact that he was hanging out with Whitney, Greg and Lana, whom they knew all too well were the children of the others in his father's old circle. They were worrying that the "darkness" was taking root in him and that if he stayed here that he'd be lost forever.

The news of Chloe's attack had made them even more paranoid than usual, the two of them whispering in the corners by themselves. He wondered if they were thinking it was a Witch-Hunter as well. And if that was so, then what would they do?

He'd heard something about Wichita while trying to eavesdrop on them, and that made his skin crawl.

There was no way he wanted to leave Smallville!

Especially not when they were getting so close to actually binding their circle!

He knew that Chloe and Whitney had both officially quit and left, but with how they were still calling group meetings Pete knew that it was only a matter of time and conditions before the two returned to the circle and they could bind it for greater protection.

Footsteps could be heard coming towards his door.

Pete grabbed the bible and opened it to a random page, pretending to be reading as the door opened to reveal his father.

"Good night son." His father eyed him with only thinly veiled suspicion. "Have you said your prayers yet?"

"Yes sir." He nodded dutifully.

"Remember now," his father announced. "The Lord is always watching."

And with that he left.

Pete listened until the footsteps stopped, and sighed, shaking his head. He stood, his sock-covered feet padding softly on the floor as he made his way to the door, opening it enough to press his ear to the gap and listen, intently. It was only when the gospel music began playing softly, did he know for certain that his parents were in bed. Thankfully, their routine of going to bed with music playing always afforded him with some cover for any noise he might make escaping.

Closing the door, Pete pulled on his shoes and grabbed a jacket, turning off his light as he made his way to the window and opened it. He slipped out of the house, glad that they only had one story, and closed the window to a crack behind him before turning around and having a cloth filled with chloroform shoved against his face.

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"You can't keep letting him get away with this sort of stuff!" Whitney hissed, holding a plastic bag with ice to his mother's swelling face.

"I got him upset." His mother was, as always, taking the blame for everything. "I should have understood him the first time and not ask him to repeat himself. I'm just always being an idiot."

"You're not an idiot." Whitney tried to keep his temper in check, refusing to give into it as easily as his father did. "He's the damned asshole who can't control his issues and takes it out on his family." He stared at his mother, waiting until she turned her eyes on him to speak. "You've never done anything to deserve this."

His mother gave him a tremulous smile.

"Where is he?" Whitney asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Where. Is. He?" He stared at his mother's battered face.

"Whitney-." She whispered.

"I'm not him mom." He promised her. "But I can't let him hit you twice as much just because he can't get to push me around anymore."

"He's your father." She pleaded.

"That's why I'm not going to touch him." Whitney swore. "But I'm going to make him know he can't keep doing this, because one day he might seriously hurt you, or kill you, and then I'm going to kill him."

There were tears in her eyes. "Your father would never-."

"Where is he mom?" Whitney interrupted her loyal delusions.

She hung her head low. "Hester's."

"Why am I not surprised?" Whitney sighed, standing, knowing he should have figured out that his father would be at his favorite bar getting hammered after smashing up his wife's face.

"Please don't anger him even more." His mother pleaded.

Whitney didn't answer, walking towards the kitchen door and opening it, stepping out, and only barely managed to dodge the swing of the bat as it swung at his head.

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Clark tapped his fingers to the steering wheel as he drove down the long road from his farm home to Pete's to pick on his friend. On each side of his truck were large cornfields. He'd offered to drive Lana there given the fact that she lived very close to him, but she'd thanked him and admitted she had another appointment to get to before going to the Talon so she'd make her own way. Also, she didn't want to tip Nell off about her going out as she would be if she heard the engine. So he was just going to pick up Pete, and then drive close by Chloe's to find where she'd be walking and pick the girl up. After the attack she'd suffered today he was not comfortable with her walking alone at night.

Sighing, the young witch stared in front of him, deep in thought. If Chloe hadn't already told them all to meet her at the Talon tonight, he would have gone to her right away once he'd heard about the attack. But obviously she was fine, and didn't want to talk to them in public like that. And if this was really something related to the Witch-Hunters and Greg's dad's death all those years ago, he could get why she was doing it. In her own way she'd be protecting the circle, by not letting it be too obvious who was in it. But still it wouldn't do much difference because if this was really something that had been orchestrated by the Witch-Hunters they'd already know who the circle members were and it was only a matter of time.

Running a hand over his face, Clark's gaze slid out of the side window at the seemingly endless cornfield.

If this was really happening, if the Witch-Hunters were really back, they needed to bind their circle.

They needed the protection.

Surely Chloe, Whitney and Greg would see it now!

He had a feeling that Chloe would be the hardest to convince, and he couldn't really blame her with all she'd gone through with Nell, but Clark was going to make it his mission to convince her to join and bind the circle with them. She needed to understand that it was a way to protect themselves, and he wanted everyone to be safer, especially her. He trusted and worried about her intensely. It was why having to stop being her friend had been so hard on him, and why he'd found it hard to complete his "mission" of using her emotions to get her to awake magically.

It was why Whitney had lost patience and taken to targeting the girl, trying to annoy and anger her enough for an awakening.

Clark shook his head, gaze going back to the road in time to see someone standing in the middle of it.

"Oh crap!" Pressing down on his brakes, Clark swerved to keep from hitting the man, the truck swinging sharply left before crashing into the fence.

Clark's head hit the steering wheel on impact and everything went black.

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The Mega-Hits Mashup 2011 played loudly in her ears, drowning out every sound as she continued her long trek towards the Talon in the dead of the night. In a town like Smallville after a certain hour there was no one on the street and most houses were pitch black, so the occasional street light was her only light source given the fact that the moon had hidden behind some clouds shortly after she'd begun walking.

The song changed to Die Young Mega Mashup by bringmethemashup as Chloe paused, something at the back of her mind screaming.

Twirling around, she found nothing and no one, the street completely empty of any sort of life.

Her gaze went left, nothing.

Right, nothing.

Shaking her head, Chloe turned and made to continue walking when she found a male figure standing in front of her.

Her eyes widened yet before she could even open her mouth to scream a needle was piercing her neck as something injected into her body, everything spinning as her knees gave out on her.

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Lana rolled, giving a little scream as the crowbar hit her parents' tombstone, chipping off part of it.

Her eyes widened in horror at the desecration of her parents' resting place. Rolling out of the way for the tire iron to slam down onto the ground where her head would have been, the brunette landed on her side, holding her arm out towards him, furious at his trashing the graves. "Be driven back!"

The wind picked up and slammed into him, sending the man flying back into the graves once more.

Lana took this opportunity to stumble onto her feet, hand still outstretched towards him. "Off!"

The wind knocked him off of the graves.

A twig broke somewhere to her side.

Lana turned around, her hand outstretched towards that direction, alert on the possibility of a second attacker, but there was no one that she could see.

The brunette narrowed her eyes and turned back to the graves to find the ground next to it empty, the man gone.

"Where-?"

She never knew what hit her.

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"Take whatever you want." His mother was begging with the man who had the knife to her throat. "But please, don't hurt my son and I! Please!"

Greg clenched his fists, a muscle jumping in his cheek as he tried to battle the fury in him at the sight of his mother like this.

She could be a pain at times, but damn it, this was his mother, and the Witch-Hunters were not going to take her from him like they had his father!

The man sneered at him before pressing the blade harder against his mother's throat.

Greg snapped, flinging his hand out towards the knife. "Return to your raw form."

The knife transformed before their very eyes, shaking violently as it converted back into a chunk of raw silver, falling to the ground loudly.

His mother's eyes widened in shock. "_Greggie_?"

He couldn't look at her, didn't want to see that horror now that she finally knew the secret his father had managed to keep from her till death.

The man threw her to the ground before reaching behind him at the sink and throwing a plate at the boy.

Greg dodged the plate, but didn't dodge the man barreling into him, the blow sending them both into the table. The force broke his mother's beloved table into pieces and they fell onto the pieces left of it, both trading blows as they fought for dominance, for the upper hand.

The man grabbed a piece of broken wood, holding it up and driving it down at him like a stake.

Greg only managed to grab that wrist, staying the sharp edge before it could impale him, grunting as he put all his strength into keeping that stake away from him.

The man snarled, pushing down more weight on the stake, which inched closer and closer, the tip now pressing hard against his chest.

Greg's hands trembled from the force of trying to keep that stake from impaling him, but the man was bigger and heavier, and had him pinned.

The witch took a very dangerous risk, letting go of the man's wrist long enough to grab the stake itself. "Burn!"

The wood erupted into fire, consuming itself, the flames burning his hands and chest.

Greg cried out, closing his eyes against the pain, before finally the stake erupted into ash which blinded the man above him.

The man cried as he threw himself off of Greg, clawing at his eyes.

Ignoring the pain in his hands, Greg reached for a shard of broken plate and sliced it against the man's throat, blood spurting out onto him as the man flailed, trying to stop the bloodflow before falling dead on the ground.

Greg collapsed on the ground, letting finally finally cry out at the pain in his burnt hands. He stared at the bright red, peeling skin, hissing in agony as he forced apart two fingers that'd begun sticking together.

"_Greggie_?" His mother whispered in fear.

Hanging his head, Greg pushed back his pain before wrapping a fallen towel around his hand and shouldering out of the house towards his bike.

There was no way this was an isolated attack.

The others were in danger.

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Chloe tried moving, getting up, screaming-_anything_-as the figure leaned down over her and pulled the needle out of her neck, slipping it into his jacket's pocket before reaching for her and pulling the teen over his shoulder. Her iPod slipped out of her pocket and hit a patch of grass on the ground, masking its sound as her earphones popped out of her ears due to the weight of the iPod. The blonde was hanging like a bag of potatoes over her assailant's shoulders, her hands and the rest of her body immobile as the world spun sickeningly all around her as he began walking away. She wanted to scream, wanted to cry out for help, but it was impossible to do anything but blink her eyes.

Trying to summon up magic was futile, which shouldn't be too surprising given the fact that her body was incapacitated and her mind just a jumble of fog and tar. She couldn't think straight, couldn't do anything but force her eyes open as wide as she could.

Her kidnapper walked down a long back alley before turning a corner and coming up to some beat up piece of shit car. He opened the back door and threw her down on the seat, eyeing her for a moment before pulling out and closing the door. His movements were swift as he moved around to the front of the car, slipped into the driver's side, and then turned on the ignition.

Her eyes stared up at the ceiling, unable to even scream for help as he drove away with her in the back.

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**TBC**


	11. Attacked (Part Three)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Clark's head hurt, his whole body seeming on fire with pain. He tried moving, tried opening his eyes, and yet it was as if his body wasn't listening to his commands. He tried remembering what'd happened, the crash returning to him in a jolt, and as the weight of his body burnt his arms he realized that he was suspended in the air, his arms tied onto something on his each side that seemed like wood, and his feet were as well. It was almost as if he was on a cross.

"We should have just nailed him to that damned scarecrow post." A raspy voice declared.

"The sacred mixture around him will suppress his magic, he won't be able to use it." Another declared. "And the necklace will keep him physically weak. Nails would be an overkill."

Clark was glad that his eyes hadn't opened, so he could hear all of this without them knowing he was awake.

"What's the news on the rest of the circle?" The raspy voice wanted to know.

"They're bringing the Lang girl and Ross boy as we speak." The voice who belonged to the one who seemed more in charge, declared. "I have yet to hear back from those who were sent after the other three."

"You don't think that-?"

"We'll see."

Clark clenched his hands, subtly trying to break loose, to no avail.

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There'd been a struggle, and while Whitney knew that he had magic in his veins, he had to admit that it wasn't his first instinct to use it. Maybe it was because he'd found out that his father had had his magic removed from for abusing it, but Whitney believed in only using magic when he needed to. And while some people might believe he'd need it when it came to fights, the Quarterback truly felt so far he didn't need to use any as he fought to get the bat away from the man who'd attacked him.

Inside he could hear his mother calling the police, reporting the attack, and he could see the desperation and urgency in that masked man's eyes.

Grabbing hold of both ends of the bat, battling with the man for control over it, Whitney brought up his knee angrily into the mouth of the man's stomach, the unexpected blow causing his attacker to let go and stumble back a couple of steps.

Taking advantage, Whitney changed his grip on the bat and swung it at the man, who barely managed to jump out of the way of the blow.

Now on the attack, Whitney charged, the side of the bat clipping the man on his ear, causing a howl and some accented curses to escape as he reached down and grabbed one of Whitney's mother's horrendous lawn gnomes, using it as a shield to try and meet each hit.

The man did a twirl and thew the gnome at Whitney, forcing the blonde to concentrate on batting it as far as he could, his arms hurting somewhat from the resistance the heavy thing gave when he hit it.

Knowing an advantage when he saw it, the man backflipped three times away from the boy before dashing into the cornfield to the side of Whitney's house.

"The hell is he from? The circus?" Whitney whispered to himself, shocked, before taking chase.

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Pete and Lana had been brought, the both of them unconscious as well, and tied up to a cross just as he had been. The men who had them wore hoods over their heads, hiding their faces, and were off to the side conversing in hissed whispers. It gave Clark the opportunity to finally peek his eyes open and take a good look and not just do so through slitted eyelids.

They were in the middle of a cornfield, he, Lana and Pete were strung up like scarecrows. Pete and he were shirtless, a glowing rock on a necklace around their necks, (Lana having one as well though her shirt was still on) and there was some sort of black powder encircling each of the crosses. Also, there were three other crosses, empty ones, and he knew that they were for the other members of their circle.

Whatever that black powder and these glowing green stones were, they truly were keeping Clark from using magic. They even made it hard for him to concentrate and open his eyes.

This had to be the work of Witch-Hunters.

These people had to be Witch-Hunters...and the circle hadn't been ready.

They weren't ready.

And if something didn't happen...then they'd die.

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His hands were killing him with pain, and he was worried that some of his digits were beginning to stick together again, but Greg did his best to ignore the pain and go on. He headed towards Chloe's because not only was she the closest to him geographically, but the girl had already been attacked once today so it was obvious that she'd be attacked again, especially if the guy who'd attacked her was affiliated with the Witch-Hunters.

He was going to turn a corner when something caught his eye and he stopped, frowning.

Greg dismounted from his motorcycle and knelt down before his eyes widened when he saw the Torch sticker on the discarded iPod.

This was Chloe's.

He was too late.

Growling, he reached for the iPod with his scarred, burnt hands, and the second he touched it images raced through his mind. They were disconnected flashes. Chloe walking and listening to music...dancing idiotically...not looking at all as scared and wary as she should considering that she'd just been attacked. Chloe sensing something and looking behind her to nothing. Chloe shrugging and turning back around to see a huge man backlit by the light. Chloe being stabbed in the neck with a syringe, the liquid entering her system and incapacitating her as she was thrown over this man's shoulder. Chloe, staring paralyzed at her fallen iPod as she was taken away to a beat up old chevy and driven away.

The images stopped, Greg shaking his head, bringing the heel of his palm to his head in shock.

A vision...this was new.

Taking a breath, deciding to try and figure this out later, Greg slipped her iPod into his pocket before going to his motorcycle once more.

He'd seen the vehicle...and the direction it was going in.

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It seemed like forever and she was still in the back of that car, staring at the ceiling as the lightposts cast never ending beams of light and shadows on her.

Her kidnapper wasn't driving too fast, so wherever he was taking her he obviously wasn't in a rush to do so. Did that mean that he was secure in the fact that they weren't being followed? Or was wherever he was taking her out of Smallville and they'd already left the small town behind, so he felt secure in the distance? Either wasn't a good option for her, nor was the foggyness in her brain that kept her from truly being able to think.

She tried moving her body but found it extremely hard to do, the only things moving slightly were her fingers. Whatever he'd injected her with had left her nearly paralyzed, and her mind in an eternal fog, nowhere near clear enough to even conjure some sort of spell to help herself out of this situation.

The blonde focused on moving her fingers though, concentrated on keeping them moving as she tried her other fingers as well. At first there was nothing...and then another finger began to move, and even if it was only a little it was all the encouragement she needed.

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They were drawing symbols on the ground with the dark powder around the crosses.

Clark had reverted back to gazing through slitted eyelids, trying to keep the fact that he was awake a secret as he observed and listened as much as he could.

From what he could hear, the one in charge of capturing Whitney had only managed to call in saying he needed backup, but hadn't been able to get anything else out before the call was cut off. They'd sent people to his house, but the police were everywhere and they'd had to pull back. They'd also slunk to Greg's and there'd been police all over there as well. That meant that at least Greg and Whitney weren't captured.

Chloe and the one sent to "finish what he started" were total mysteries though, as the hooded men had no idea what was going on in that front, and were worrying that he'd met with some ill fate as well.

Clark wasn't a praying sort of guy, but he prayed to anyone listening that Whitney, Greg and Chloe were fine...and on their way to save them.

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This guy was obviously some sort of freak who escaped from some sort of circus. That was the only explanation Whitney could come up with for the guy's speed and agility as he chased him through the cornfields, holding tightly onto his attacker's bat, determined to beat information out of the man with it. He didn't know whether this was the same guy who'd attacked Chloe today or if this was another sent after him, but he knew that once he was done with the dude he'd be telling him everything. George Fordman wasn't the only Fordman with a problem with a violent temper, except Whitney could control his...and he wasn't feeling very much like controlling it right now. If anything he was spurred on, glad there was someone he could take his anger out on, the feeling giving him speed and agility to keep up with this man.

Up ahead he could hear a car passing, the blonde pausing a second as he realized that they were close to the road. If the Witch-Hunter had a car parked by the side of it Whitney would lose him!

Pushing on harder, Whitney ran, following the swishing cornstalks in front of him, hiding the man from his sight.

Holding his free hand out in front of him, Whitney whispered softly. "Bend and bow."

Ahead the cornstalks bent away on each side, revealing the back of his elusive prey.

Almost as if sensing he was exposed, the man looked over his shoulder and cursed loudly, pressing on harder.

Just a little ahead of the man was the road.

Never stopping a beat, Whitney changed his hold on the bat from the handle to the end and calculated the distance before throwing the bat, the handle meeting the back of the man's head the second his feet touched asphalt. The man stumbled, twirling around with the blow and stumbling backwards before suddenly a car slammed into him at full speed.

Whitney skidded to a stop, eyes wide, before hurrying the rest of the way out of the cornfield and picking up the baseball bat, eyes on the twisted body on the highway leading out of Smallville.

The man was dead.

He felt sick at his stomach, bringing a hand to his mouth, unable to look away from the guy.

Some feet away, where it'd flipped and ended up on its roof, the car began to smoke.

Hearing another engine revving, Whitney looked up, wide eyed as a motorcycle turned the dangerous curve before skidding to a stop. "Greg?"

Greg's eyes were wide in horror at the car, sliding off of his motorcycle and racing towards the vehicle. "Chloe's in the back!"

"What?" Whitney hissed in horror, racing after the other guy, who was sitting on the ground and trying to kick in the back passenger's window, the door too crumbled to open.

"Fuck this." Greg hissed, sliding away and holding his hand out in front of him.

Whitney's eyes widened in horror to see the ugly fresh burns scarring those hands. "What happened-?"

Greg didn't answer, closing his fist and flinging it out to the side, the back passenger door crumpling like paper before being thrown away to the side his hand had.

Realizing now wasn't the time to question anything, Whitney went to his knees and climbed into the backseat. Chloe was crumbled on the roof, her eyes open, obviously awake, and yet other than the pain in those orbs and the slight twitching of her fingers she didn't seem really there.

"She's paralyzed." Greg answered Whitney's questions as the blonde slowly, carefully, pulled her out of the smoking car. "The guy stuck a syringe with some shit in her neck."

Whitney grunted as he finally stood, pulling Chloe up into his arms, the girl's body completely limp even though her eyes were darting between them in worry.

Greg went to look in the front seat. "The driver's dead."

"Good." Whitney whispered. "We need to get to the Talon."

"We need to get to Clark, Pete and Lana." Greg argued. "They're going to be hit as well and-."

"And they'll need us all at a hundred per cent." Whitney argued. "Pick up the bat, I don't want my fingerprints around here."

Greg flinched as he did so, obviously in pain.

"You can't even pick up the bat-I don't know how you drove that damned thing." Whitney declared. "We need to go back to the Talon. There's things I can use there to help dull your pain and make your healing faster-and also counteract the paralyzer running through her veins."

Greg looked hesitant, yet was a smart guy, and knew that Whitney was right.

"Ride that to my home, it's on the other side of this cornfield...just be careful, the cops are probably there." Whitney ordered. "My truck's out back. We'll put your motorcycle in the back and get to the Talon." He shifted Chloe's weight in his arms, her cheek resting against his heart. "We'll be right behind."

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They were a sad little bunch.

Greg sat by the table, allowing Whitney to apply mud mixed with herbs and some incantations on his burnt hands, the blonde wrapping the mixture up with a cotton bind and ordering the brunet not to disturb them for at least a half an hour.

Chloe herself was lying on the sofa, able to finally move her hands and face, and this was all thanks to a potion Whitney had concocted with some terrible tasting herbs and forced her to drink.

Who would have thought that Whitney Fordman would be so useful?

"The pain's numbed." Greg commented in a near daze, staring at his bandaged hands.

Whitney nodded as he crushed some of those same herbs again, adding them to a glass half-filled with spring water and other already mushed herbs he'd left soaking in the water while tending to Greg. The Quarterback stirred the murky mixture with his finger, whispering a soft incantation before removing his finger and shaking it. Grabbing the glass he made towards Chloe.

Chloe whimpered.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "This will help speed up your body's metabolism and fight whatever they've jacked you up with."

"But it tastes awful." She complained, and wasn't able to do much more as he sat on the edge of the sofa and easily helped her up enough so that she could drink the foul-tasting concoction he placed to her lips.

"Don't be such a big baby."

She sent him a look before whimpering and closing her eyes tightly as she began gulping down the horrid thing.

"That's it, a little more." He encouraged until she finally finished it and he was lowering her back down onto the pillow. "Who knew you were so whiney, Sullivan?"

Chloe made up her face at him.

Greg snickered.

Whitney rose. "I wouldn't be too gleeful if I was you...yours is gonna taste worse."

Greg's eyes widened in horror. "What?"

Chloe stuck her tongue out at him.

He narrowed his eyes on her and pouted.

Whitney tried his cellphone once more as he went to the jars of herbs, keeping it between his ear and shoulder and he repaired Greg's concoction. "Nell's still not answering."

"Where the hell could she be this time of the night?" Greg wanted to know. "She's a spinster florist for crying out loud! It's not like she's got that much of a social life."

Whitney tried a couple of other numbers before frowning. "The others aren't picking up either, I think they've been taken."

"But where?" Chloe managed to turn her head towards the boys, her arms twitching, the foul liquid she'd imbibed already starting to work.

"The one that had you was heading out of town, maybe the others are being shipped somewhere else as well." Greg tried.

"Talking about that-how did you know that Chloe was in that car?" Whitney wanted to know. "Did you see the abduction?"

"In a manner of speaking." Greg made a face as he leaned hard against the chair. "I found her iPod, and when I touched it I saw the abduction-but it'd already happened."

"Psychometry." Chloe whispered in shock. "Touch-Sight."

"You're psychic." Whitney blinked.

"I'm already a witch." Greg made a face.

"It's like what Nell's been saying about the Hibbins, Withridge and Thoreaux." Whitney frowned. "The three Main families. Your families were known for having special gifts. Maybe Touch-Sight is a Withridge gift?"

"Nell's gonna have a field day with this." Greg commented.

"So you think the others have been shipped out of town already?" Whitney frowned.

"Makes no sense." Greg shook his head. "The last time the Witch-Hunters came they took our parents down in their hometown. They killed my father here. They proved their dominance even on our own territory. I don't think that we would intimidate them enough to seek more advantage."

"He's right." Chloe declared, slowly managing to roll her shoulders, the feeling and control returning with each breath. "They're still here somewhere."

"So why was that one taking you out of town?" Whitney wanted to know, making a very good point.

Greg's eyes narrowed on Chloe. "That's a very good question."

Seeing the narrowed way they both eyed her, Chloe made a face at them. "I don't know why, okay!?"

Whitney eyed her before trying Nell's number again as he headed towards Greg with his glass of sludge.

Greg made up his face at the beverage. "No thank you."

"Do you want to be able to use your hands normally ever again?" Whitney raised an eyebrow.

Grumbling, Greg took the glass from Whitney clumsily with his bandaged hands. "I hate you." And with that he chugged the whole thing down without taking a breath, his Adams Apple bobbing with each gulp before finally the glass was empty and he coughing, bent over. "That was vile!"

Whitney ignored that, hissing as he hung up his call. "It keeps going to voicemail!"

"You don't think they've got her too, do you?" Chloe clenched her hands into fists and pushed down on the sofa hard enough to slide her body upwards, leaving her back against the armrest.

Greg dropped the glass, which shattered into a million pieces. "Oh fuck, I never thought of that."

"We have to consider the possibility that we're the only ones in commission." Whitney frowned. "Our parents are useless. Yours don't know and mine's too much of an asshole to help, Mr and Mrs Ross will throw a fit if they know that Pete's practicing and in trouble-and Nell is no where to be found."

"That leaves Mr and Mrs Kent." Greg reminded. "They're not happy with Clark practicing until he's 21, but they're our best bet."

Whitney nodded his agreement before looking through his cellular's contacts.

"Why do you have Clark's parents in your phone?" Greg made a face.

"We're a circle, it's obvious that we'd need to get in contact with family members sometimes." Whitney mumbled, as if this should be obvious. "I have your mom's and Chloe's dad's numbers in here too."

Greg sent a look in Chloe's direction.

Wiggling her toes, Chloe sent the look right back at him.

As one, they turned to look at Whitney expectantly as he stood and began to pace the floor between them.

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"Why are you doing this?" Lana tried freeing herself, her magic and strength depleted, completely gone, as she hung on the cross between Clark and Pete. "We haven't done anything to deserve this!"

The figures stood in the shadows, their faces and bodies hidden by the cloaks and hoods.

There were about six of them, but there was one obvious leader.

He-for with that height it had to be a him-stood back and let the others continue working on the sigils around the crosses.

"Let us go!" She struggled against the ropes that bound her, staring up at the sky, trying to call down lightning or something.

Nothing.

Whatever they were using to block their abilities was sticking steadfast.

"Save your breath, Lana." Clark surprised her by whispering, the girl having thought he was still unconscious. "They're not going to let us go."

She turned to look towards him, worrying her bottom lip. "Are you okay?"

Clark nodded. "You?"

She nodded back.

"I'm hoping I'm not the only one with a massive headache." Pete grumbled, proving he too was conscious.

Lana turned to look at him, relieved that he was fine enough to complain, before turning her glare on the man letting the others do his dirty work. "Where are the others? What have you done with them?" They were her circle, and she was supposed to have protected them! And yet here she was, tied up and useless. Aunt Nell would be ashamed if she-.

Aunt Nell!

She must have realized that Lana wasn't in her room, right?

She must know something was up and was looking for them!

Somewhat reassured by this, Lana knew she needed to stall if she wanted to keep herself and the boys alive.

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"Why is no one answering?" Whitney nearly threw his phone in frustration at not even reaching the Ross's after failing to get into contact with the Kents.

"We're going to have to do this on our own." Chloe declared with bravery she didn't feel, finally able to swing her legs over the side of the sofa and sit up.

"Is it me or does this feel like a test?" Greg spoke her thoughts.

The blonde nodded. "We're being isolated."

"What, you think Nell is behind this?" Whitney frowned.

"She _is_ the one who keeps telling us that if the Witch-Hunters were really after us that we wouldn't be ready." Greg mumbled, eyeing Chloe. "And she _has_ been known to get more physical when she feels it's needed."

Chloe's hand went to her throat. "This still seems like a little bit of an overkill, doesn't it?"

"Talking about kill…" Whitney let out a little breath. "If this was a test…"

Chloe made a face. "We might have just killed the ones giving us the test."

Greg folded his arms over his chest. "Well, I guess you could say we passed then, huh?"

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**TBC**


	12. Attacked (Part Four)

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"We need to do something, tell someone." Chloe stood, testing out the strength in her shaky legs before making slow steps towards them. It was only after Whitney exhausted his credit calling that she'd remembered tonight was not only a special crusade at Pete's parents' church, but the Kent's wedding anniversary and Clark had said they were spending the night incommunicado in Metropolis. That made things seem less and less like a test and more and more real. "If this isn't a test then the others are in serious danger. There's got to be something we can do to-."

"Tattletale." Greg suddenly looked up, eyes wide.

"Excuse me?" Chloe frowned at him somewhat confused and insulted.

"Yes!" Whitney stood immediately before turning and hurrying towards the back, disappearing through the beads in the doorway.

"What am I not getting?" Chloe turned to Greg.

"Before your magic was awoken Nell had been trying to teach us a spell she called The Tattletale." He made a face. "With it, in theory, we should be able to find out where the other members of our circle are."

"But we're not bound." Chloe frowned, coming closer.

"Not officially…" Greg shook his head. "But our families have bound themselves for generations-the Hibbins, Withridge & Thoreaux especially so." He looked up at her. "Our blood is bound."

"Lana." Chloe whispered, a little hope surging forth despite her wariness. "What's the rub? Because there has to be a reason why this spell didn't come to your mind before."

Greg sighed, leaning hard against the seat. "None of us could actually do it." He made up his face. "We were unbound, as you said, and our powers weren't strong enough. This is a group spell. One or more have to anchor the map and the others have to man the pointer."

Group magic.

Chloe took a step backwards without even realizing it.

She couldn't do this!

John had warned her against it!

She couldn't do magic with others-especially not boys!

Especially not Whitney!

He'd already gotten a taste of her magic! What if this cemented an addiction in him or something?

"So why are you even contemplating it now?" Chloe wanted to know, stalling as Whitney returned with a couple of folded maps and a pendulum.

"Desperation and adrenaline...strong emotions heighten magic...like when we all awoke." Whitney answered for Greg, knocking things off of the coffee table and throwing the maps on the sofa. He went through them before finding one which covered Smallville, Grandville and Metropolis, as well as the outlying cities. "Plus, we're going to cheat." Unrolling his selected map, Whitney secured each edge to the table with four quartz. "Clear quartz are power stones, amplifiers."

Chloe gulped, staring at the map.

"I'll anchor the map." Whitney declared, sitting down and placing his hands on the crystals on the west and east of the map. "You two are from the families most closely bound to Lana's. You should be able to use her pendulum to find where she is."

Chloe sent a sideways glance towards Greg, contemplating deep within as to if she should really do this.

Greg stood, going towards the sink and undoing the binds on his hands, washing the mixture of mud and herbs. He turned on the water and began to wash the concoction off, flexing his hands as he did so. They were still horribly burnt, but his fingers weren't sticking together anymore and the burns weren't so horribly red or swollen as before. Also he seemed to be in far less pain than before, drying his hands as he moved towards Chloe.

The blonde turned to look at Whitney.

"We can do this." He misunderstood the worry obvious on her features. "The others need us. We have to do this."

He was right.

The others' lives could depend on this.

Closing her eyes and taking in a deep, calming breath, Chloe grabbed the chain of the pendulum and held it over the map.

Greg joined her side and reached out, placing his much larger hand over hers, clasping her tightly.

She turned her greens on him, finding his browns already on her, determined.

He nodded, tightening his grip on her, his fingers slipping slightly through hers before turning his gaze to Whitney. "Anytime Fordman."

Whitney closed his eyes, tightening his hold on the crystals as he began to softly chant something she couldn't really hear.

Greg's thumb brushed her skin, shocking her as it sparked between them. "Relax." His browns never left hers, seeming to sense the fact that she was holding back and very nervous. "Just keep looking into my eyes and concentrate on Lana."

She nodded, licking her lips, staring into his browns.

The thumb he continued to caress her hand with began to lull her, soothe her, and Chloe could feel her magic beginning to slowly ignite, much like the sparks of magic from his skin on hers. It wasn't the same feeling like when she attacked Nell with wordless magic, this magic seemed much calmer, much more hesitant and definitely less fierce. A part of her wondered at the difference in it sometimes, but she forced back anything that wasn't a desire to find Lana from her mind.

Her hand was extremely warm and growing warmer, yet she didn't gave a care to look at it, that warmth spreading from the pit of her stomach to the rest of her body. It was like a soft fire warming her from within, making her feel somewhat sleepy, her eyelids lowering slightly so that she was gazing at Greg through her eyelashes.

His grip on her hand tightened.

Instinctively she copied the movement, her own thumb beginning to caress the skin of his hand.

"They're still in Smallville." She thought she heard Whitney hiss. "Don't move!"

He stood quickly and grabbed another map, replacing it on the table and fixing the crystals once more.

Chloe didn't look away from Greg.

He didn't look away from her.

Suddenly their breath left them, as if they'd been knocked in the gut...

...and suddenly they weren't in the Talon anymore, they were in the middle of some cornfield, a symbol etched in a circle around three crosses (three empty ones near by), upon which their friends were tied.

Chloe's eyes widened and she tried pulling away.

Greg tightened his grip on her. "Don't."

"But-."

"This is like what happened before when I picked up your iPod but a hundred times more. It's being magnified by our bound bloods and Whitney and the crystals." Greg took in everything. "Don't let go of my hand or this will go away, and this is our best chance of figuring out what's going and on where they are...and how to help them."

Gulping, Chloe nodded, vaguely realizing the pendulum wasn't in her hands anymore, instead her hand in Greg's, their fingers entertwined.

The two walked towards the others, Chloe barely keeping her gasp from being uttered when she saw the hooded people emerging from the cornfields.

"Whatever that dust is, and that stone is, it's keeping them from using their powers." Greg's voice brought her gaze back to the three on the crosses.

Pete, Lana and Clark were all trying different spells, trying to get free, and yet obviously nothing was happening. They also looked weak. And in growing pain.

"This has to be the work of the Witch-Hunters."

Chloe's narrowed on Clark's gaze, following it to a hooded man standing slightly apart from the others, just watching. "Greg."

Greg followed her gaze. "The leader?"

"I think so." Chloe gazed from Clark back to him.

"Cut off the head and the body dies, right?" Greg sneered.

Chloe sent him a look. "I don't think it'll be so easy just to do that. If he's in charge it's because he's the strongest."

"Not necessarily." Greg countered, eyeing the others around. "Whitney and Clark are the strongest physically but they aren't the heads of our unofficial little circle."

"I mean magically." Chloe leveled him with a glare.

"That's my point." Greg returned his gaze to her. "Lana's not the strongest magic-wise in our group either, but she's still our leader because of established hierarchy."

She was intrigued as to whom Greg thought was the strongest power-wise, but knew it wasn't the time to ask. "Any idea as to where we are?"

He nodded. "Miller's Field. It's near Miller's Bend."

She turned to him, shocked.

"There's a pond a little way's back there close to the tree-line." He gave her a sheepish little shrug of his shoulders. "I used to spend my time there catching bugs."

"Right." She nodded slowly. "I'd forgotten you used to be Bug Boy."

He gave her a glare at that. "Anyway, at least we have an idea where they are and how they are..." his eyes narrowed as one of the hooded men walked behind Chloe. "And who has them."

The vision around them began to ripple.

Chloe looked around her. "This happened last time too?"

"It was never this clear before." He mumbled, eyeing around him warily as well.

And then they weren't in the field and were instead back in the Talon, still holding the pendulum's chain but the pendulum itself was gone, and Whitney stood over the coffee table, spraying a fire-hydrant at the smoking remains.

"The heck was that?" The Quarterback snapped, finally stopping, turning towards them.

"What happened to the pendulum?" Chloe stared at the chain that hung from their hands.

"It exploded!" Whitney threw away the empty fire-hydrant. "And right afterwards the map caught on fire!"

Greg moved closer towards the coffee table, his hand still clenched around Chloe's and thus pulling her with him as he leaned down over it. "Look."

Whitney came closer, eyeing it as well. "Damn."

There, on the metal of the coffee table, was an image burnt of Miller's Field, six crosses, and hooded men.

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_A blonde and a brunet holding hands, another blonde with his hands on clear quartz, cornstalks, crosses with three teens on it, and hooded men._

Cassie gasped as she brought her hand to her forehead, trying to make sense of the images that'd been too rapid for her to make out anymore.

"Cassie!" Diana caught her when she swayed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I just-." She tried to summon those images back but they were gone. "It-it's nothing."

"To hell it's not." Faye made a face from where she'd been painting her nails. "You blew our lamp's bulb!"

"Did I?" Cassie turned to look at the darkened lamp, a little hazy. "Sorry."

"It's your dark magic, isn't it?" Diana frowned, taking a step back once the blonde was stable as well. "Something's happening."

"You've been off lately, but we've all thought it was because Daddy Demon returned." Faye, of course, never sugarcoated anything. "But it's been something else, isn't it?" She closed the lid on her nail polish and leaned forwards, accusing. "You're holding out on us. Keeping secrets from your circle." Her eyes narrowed. "So why is that? Because we don't have powerful, dark Balcoin magic in our veins we're being kept out of the loop? Is this some sort of blood club?"

"Faye." Melissa reprimanded her friend, turning her gaze on Cassie. "You can trust us."

Cassie stared between the girls, all having a girls night in at Cassie's while Jane was gone. "I-I've been sensing someone since I got the medallion."

Diana's frown darkened, as it had since they realized what a big deal that medallion was, and how much danger it was putting everyone through. "Another spirit?"

"No." Cassie shook her head, licking her lips before deciding to finally talk. "Remember how I knew that my father was still alive?"

"Yeah." Melissa nodded slowly, leaning closer. "When you activated the medallion you said you felt him."

"Thing is..." Cassie cleared her throat. "He's not the only one I felt."

Faye's eyes widened. "You HAVE been keeping us in the dark!"

"Faye." Diana scolded before turning her dark gaze on Cassie. "Go on."

"It's...familiar somehow. I don't know how." Cassie worried her bottom lip before continuing. "And I've been having dreams and I only vaguely remember a girl being in it."

"Rejoice Diana, Cassie is turning Lesbo on us!" Faye threw her hands up into the air. "Adam is all yours again!"

Both girls gave Faye a withering look, which didn't affect her in the least bit.

"When my father touched my shoulder yesterday I sensed it again, and I'm beginning to think it's her." Cassie replied.

"Why would you be sensing this random girl?" Melissa wanted to know curiously.

"Les-bi-an." Faye singsonged.

She was ignored.

"I asked him about it but he brushed it off, tried to make me think I was just imagining it. But I think he sensed it too because right after he left the house, and I watched him get on the phone the second he started crossing my lawn, calling someone." Cassie continued, not even looking in Faye's direction this time. "A couple of seconds ago I just saw her and five other teens."

Diana's eyes widened. "A circle."

"They were flashes...but she was doing magic with two guys...and three others were in a cornfield, strung up on crosses, with hooded men around them."

Faye's smirk fell, eyes haunted. "Witch-Hunters."

"Why are you sensing this other witch?" Melissa asked a very good question. "And why did you start sensing it once you jump started the medallion?"

"Well, it _is_ some big mega powerful thing." Faye mumbled, still very resentful that it was Cassie's and not hers. "It could have magnified some other special power she has. Witch-Finding or something."

"But why would her father not tell her this when she asked him?" Diana wasn't buying the medallion-boosting theory at all.

"He's keeping secrets from me. From us." Cassie sighed. "He can't be trusted."

"Tell us something we don't already know." Faye smart-mouthed.

"There's got to be a reason why you're sensing this other witch." Diana declared, getting into leader-mode once more. "There are two other circles mentioned in my family's book. I'll find the entries and we can start from there. It's got to be a witch from one of those three circles...they were the only two really tied into ours."

Cassie nodded. "Okay."

"We don't need to go to all that trouble." Faye made a face. "If the Witch-Hunters have half of their circle then we're going to hear whispers about a massacre."

The other girls all shared a look, troubled.

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Clark wished he'd told his parents how much he loved them before leaving tonight.

It wasn't to say that he had given up and was prepared to die, but the possibility existed quite strongly and should things go south he wished he could go knowing he'd told them he loved them at least one more time. The pain was terrible, made him want to quit, but he wouldn't, couldn't.

Pete's gaze met his once more, his best male friend silent yet his eyes saying much as to just how much pain he was going through. And yet Pete was admirably enough not showing physically the pain, the boy apparently concentrating on studying the symbols the almost black dirt was poured in. Dark eyes never looked away from the symbols at his feet, his eyes narrowed, his fists clenched tightly, the strain obvious in the tight muscles in his arms that he was trying to do something with his magic and even though it wasn't working he wasn't stopping. Wasn't giving up.

It gave Clark strength and courage, nodding to himself, refusing to give in either.

Lana looked like she was trying to stall, constantly trying to engage their captors in conversation yet not yielding any positive results. "Why won't you at least show us what you look like? If we're going to die what does it matter if we see your faces?"

The man, the one Clark was almost sure was the leader, finally stepped forwards, motioning to his men.

This was it.

It was beginning.

The cornstalks began to ripple as one as the wind picked up, lightening and thunder clashing unexpectedly above.

The leader looked around him. "The others have come."

Clark's eyes widened as he looked around.

Suddenly lightning began raining down on them, the ground exploding on impact, sending dirt flying everywhere in large quantities, somewhat blinding. Everywhere the lightning rained down viciously, the storm growing intensely as rain began to pour, and yet above the crosses no rain happened nor did the lightning come close. At first Clark thought it was the surprising fact that those three had such incredible control over what they were doing, but when the dirt around the crosses began to glow he realized that not only didn't it let those within use magic, but it didn't allow anything magical cross it either. And as the deluge and lightning poured down all around them, Clark couldn't help but feel relieved for those symbols around them.

One of the hooded men screamed as a lightning bolt seared him, the scent of burning flesh permeating the air.

There was panic and chaos in the other hooded men…but that one…the leader…he was horribly calm, merely looked around him expectantly.

Suddenly Whitney appeared from the cornfields behind one of the men and yanked the unsuspecting man back into the corn, the loud thundering covering up the sound of his cries.

Sensing movement in the flashes lightning, Clark turned his head to see Greg emerge crouched from the cornfield behind the crosses and stare down at the glowing symbols, half-hidden in the mayhem by Pete's cross. His eyes were narrowed, staring at them and at the invisible shield around the crosses keeping the rain out. He picked up a twig, holding it tightly until it began glowing, and threw it at the barrier, the twig exploding immediately on impact.

Great.

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The hell was he supposed to do now?

They had not been prepared for this sort of thing…and he doubted that Chloe could keep up the lightning storm much longer on her own, much less indefinitely. To be truthful they hadn't been sure that she'd actually be able to do it, and while Greg was impressed and knew that Whitney was as well, he knew that this was a lot to ask from a girl who was still so new to the craft. She was burning power and energy quickly. This was supposed to be a quick in and out with Whitney taking out the hooded guys who were distracted by the shower of lightning, while Greg snuck in and got the others free, but things were starting to go south fast.

Whitney leapt out of the cornfields and grabbed another of the men as the earth erupted all around them by the falling electricity, sending the hooded one flying into the cornfield before disappearing after him once more.

A lightning bolt hit the invisible bubble, and for a split second Greg could see a mist escaping Pete's hands.

Narrowing his eyes, Greg stood. He looked around the destruction, unable to see any of the hooded men before gazing down at his already scarred, sensitive hands.

This was going to hurt like fuck.

Steeling his reserve, Greg took in a deep breath before ushering out a battle cry as he slammed his palms against the barrier. Immediately horribly painful electricity surged within him, the magic crackling dangerously at his palms as he closed his eyes tightly, bowing his head against the pain. "Like fading mist in the evening air, evaporate." He cried out as more electricity surged harder into him, fighting his spell, but he continued on whispering. "Like fading mist in the evening air, evaporate!"

He was driven to his knees by the jolt of pure white electricity into his body, nearly frying his bones.

"…evaporate!"

Greg forced his eyes open, seeing through the invisible barrier to Whitney, who was on the other side, hands flat against it, eyes closed against the pain as his hands crackled with magic combatting whatever made this barrier.

Above, a little hole formed, betrayed by the fact that some of the rain was getting inside, raining down on those inside, a lightning bolt hitting the ground in front of Lana's cross.

Remember what he'd seen before, Greg's eyes went to Pete's fists, finding them glowing. That slate-colored haze seemed to form a mist that clung to Pete's hands, crawling up his arms before enveloping the rope keeping him bound. The mist entered each and every fiber, the whole thing visibly freezing until finally exploding into hundreds of pieces, dropping Pete hard to the ground.

Grunting, Pete groaned as he yanked a necklace with a green pendant off of his neck and threw it as far away from him as possible. He slowly stumbled to his feet before reaching Lana's cross and pressing his hands onto the wood, ice beginning to crawl from him towards her binds as well. The freezing mist curled around the rope, and the sound of each strand freezing was surprisingly loud. Pete's eyes narrowed on those binds, before yanking his hands away from the cross while closing his fist, whispering something.

Lana screamed as the ropes broke and she fell through the air.

Pete caught her, taking most of the blow as they both tumbled to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Lana stared down at him in worry, straddling him.

He nodded with a flinch as he reached up and yanked the necklace off of her, breaking the chain. "Help Clark."

Pushing off, Lana hurried to Clark's cross.

Pete grunted as he got up and threw her necklace away as well before limping towards the barrier. Taking in a deep breath Pete pressed his hands flat against the surface as he joined in with Whitney and Greg. "…in the evening air, evaporate!"

Clark collapsed to the ground, barely missing falling on Lana, who leapt out of the way just in time.

Lightning and rain mingled, dancing within the barrier, which flickered visibly when Lana joined in the chant, pressing her hands against it, joined quickly by Clark.

One would have thought that with five witches using their powers in unison to bring it down that the pain of the barrier would have diminished, and yet it was the opposite. Instead the pain had increased tenfold, driving more than a couple of them to their knees, and while a part of Greg was begging him to let go of it another part of him snarled at the very thought, refusing to give in and be defeated. It pushed him farther on, and without removing his hands from the barrier he somehow managed to push himself back up onto his feet and off of his knees. "EVAPORATE!"

A bolt of lightning raced towards him, and Greg's eyes widened in horror at it, realizing that Chloe was losing control, the lightning scattering everywhere. He closed his eyes, refusing to move out of the way, to remove his hands.

The lightning hit, an explosion rocking the earth beneath him as behind someone screamed.

Eyes flying open, Greg turned to see one of the hooded men's body on the ground behind him, a knife in his hand, his body steaming from where the lightning bolt had fried him.

The barrier wobbled beneath the witch's hands, drawing his attention back to it, and Greg grunted as it continued to give a desperate battle even though it was visibly starting to crack, weak spots appearing all over it. They were almost there, they almost had it, but it wasn't enough. They needed more.

Damn it!

Suddenly two hands slammed onto the barrier next to his, and Greg turned his gaze to see a terribly pale Chloe next to him, her hands shaking just as visibly as the barrier. She looked barely conscious as her lips moved slowly in the words he couldn't make out but knew she had to be chanting.

The barrier became more visible, electric pearl in color, a bubble about to pop and yet not quite.

Chloe swayed.

Greg reached out and placed his burnt, agonizingly painful hand on top of hers against the barrier, pressing down hard.

Chloe looked up at him at the contact, and suddenly lightning rained down and struck the barrier, causing it to explode, the force sending their bodies flying.

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As the explosion of magic and power lit up the sky as if a nuclear bomb had just been let off, the white wolf sat safely from the hilltop overlooking the field. The remaining of the hooded ones was long gone, having slipped into the woods and escaped while the battle of the unbound circle with the barrier raged. The fact that he hadn't ever tried to actually confront those kids himself proved that this had been a scouting mission, reconnaissance, and now he vanished with the information he needed.

This circle was strong.

The wolf watched as below, the teenagers lay on the ground, unconscious from the blow-from the magnitude-of the magic that'd erupted and hit them.

The ground heaved, suffering from the magical upheaval, and the wolf could feel it's cries before the earth opened up. It almost swallowed one, the blonde, but somehow even unconscious she managed to balance on the precipice.

Intriguing.

Standing as the teens began to awaken, the wolf turned and raced away, knowing that those in town would have seen that explosion, and would be on their way.

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"She's _fine_ Clark." Pete tried assuring his friend as they congregated in the Talon, having all piled into Whitney's waiting truck and having made it to Smallville through the backroads. They knew that the explosion would attract the authorities, and they also knew that it was in their best interest that they weren't tied into whatever happened in there. It was why no one had said a word when Greg had used his last bit of energy with Lana to create a fire behind them ("Air around us, give life to fire"). It would hopefully hide the bodies and any evidence of them ever being there.

They weren't sure how they were going to explain the body at Greg's…and hoped no one tied them into the two bodies on the highway leading away from Smallville.

"She used a tremendous amount of magic tonight." Lana agreed, giving the stairways leading to the upstairs apartment a little worried look. "More than the rest of us…and we're all barely able to keep awake as it is."

"Her pulse is strong. She's just sleeping." Whitney declared from where he was bandaging Greg's hands after putting some sort of mud and herbs poultice on it, the group catching up on what had happened to each other up until their escape. "Sleep is the body's way of healing-she mightn't wake up till tomorrow."

"How do we explain that to her dad?" Clark wanted to know, pacing. "How do we explain any of this? Whitney-you ran out after the guy and your mom called the police-and Greg you killed the guy and your mom called the police! They're going to be looking for you!" He groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I can get away with my crash-I-I can say I just called someone to pick me up."

"Me." Whitney declared. "I'll say I went to pick you up. That'll be my alibi."

"Well, I'm screwed then." Greg chuckled darkly, leaning hard against the sofa. "I have no alibi except my mom-who wants to strangle me on her better days."

"It's been taken care of." A voice declared from the door, causing them to turn in shock to see Nell there.

"Aunt Nell!" Lana gasped, standing and running to her, hugging her tightly.

"There there darling." Nell hugged her close, eyes on the others congregated. "Chloe?"

"Upstairs." Clark motioned with his head. "She's sleeping. Exhausted."

"She's the least trained of you all, it's not surprising this would have taken so much out of her." Nell declared with a nod.

"How do you know what happened?" Lana pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"Because I was tipped off." Nell frowned. "I just didn't think it would happen tonight. Talk about last minute."

"What are you talking about?" Greg stood, eyes narrowed. "Why would the Witch-Hunters tip you off?"

"Oh honey." Nell shook her head with a sigh. "Those weren't Witch-Hunters."

A deep silence fell over them.

"What?" Pete stood rapidly. "If they weren't the Witch-Hunters then who the hell were they and why did they try to kill us?"

Lana hugged herself tightly, backing away. "Aunt Nell?"

"I don't remember if I have told you this, but while there are many circles in this world, our circle is closely tied to two others-all of us direct descendants of the surviving witch families of the Salem Burning Times." Nell declared.

Whitney frowned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"The two other circles have had-similar happenings." Nell cleared her throat. "According to my source, one of them was hit by the Witch-Hunters on Halloween and yet managed to survive the attack somehow-and according to another source, the other was hit as well, but like tonight, it wasn't by the Witch-Hunters. The other circles that I know of haven't been hit. Just our three."

"What are you saying?" Clark stepped closer.

"What's so special about our three circles?" Greg narrowed his eyes. "It's got to be more than the fact that we're descendants of the Salem Witches."

"Each of the three circles contains some of the most powerful families." Nell replied, leading Lana back towards the group. "Word is that something happened during the Witch-Hunter's attack against the Chance Harbor circle that has caught someone else's attention, and the hits on our circle and the other were made to mimic Witch-Hunter attacks. It seems that whoever is behind this is searching for something, but no one is sure what." Nell licked her lips. "Was there a survivor from your attackers?"

The group nodded.

She sighed, sitting down on the sofa. "Then whoever was behind this already has whatever it is he or she wanted."

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**TBC**


	13. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Pete's parents had him on lockdown and other than school hours were keeping him at home under strict supervision. They'd realized he'd snuck out the night of the deaths and put two and two together, realizing that their son was doing more than just hanging out with the descendants of Mrs Ross' old circle. Everyone had tried calling Pete but either Mr or Mrs Ross would curtly tell them that Pete was unable to talk to them, and that they as parents were praying for the circle.

Nell had even gone over to try and talk to them, but she'd come back to the Talon and slammed the door and wouldn't come out for hours, the sound of things breaking letting everyone at the hangout know that things hadn't gone well at all.

Things between Greg and his mother were…tentative at best. She wasn't taking the whole "magical son" very well, and he'd admitted to actually resenting the fact that she wasn't fighting with him anymore, preferring her slurs to her watchful silence.

Lana was pushing herself harder than usual, blaming herself for not being prepared-for being caught off guard-and the scolding she'd gotten from her aunt for being "saved" by the others had been taken quite personally. She'd quit cheerleading, working night shifts at the Beanery, and any other activity she'd ever had, concentrating everything she had on her magical studies.

Chloe was grounded. Her father had also caught onto the fact that she'd snuck out, and while she'd managed to convince him that she'd been over at Lana's (with help from Nell) he'd still grounded her for sneaking out.

Probably the only good thing that'd come from this whole thing was that Mr and Mrs Kent decided to support Clark's magical learnings and had actually given him the Clark's Book of Shadows. There'd been conditions, and Clark was now being trained by his mother as well as by Nell, but all in all it was looking up for him.

Whitney, well, he felt very much like nothing had happened to him. After everything that'd happened he'd stumbled home to find his father finally back from the bar, and after warning him in no uncertain terms of what would happen to him should he ever touch his mother again, Whitney had locked his bedroom door and slept as if dead.

It took days before any of them were able to walk without shoulders sagging and feet being dragged.

Coach had really been pissed at practice today, Whitney not sure how Duncan was going to explain the burnt handprint on his arm.

Shaking his head, Whitney pulled his hoodie on, not wearing his Crows jersey for once.

"Whitney!"

He groaned, turning as Tina Greer hurried towards him. "What?"

The girl who had once been Lana's shadow, her wannabe-twin, stopped in front of him, making a face. "Why isn't Lana doing her cheerleading anymore? I always used to be able to talk to her after practice, but now she's not going anymore and I don't get to see her and-."

He really didn't care. "She's busy."

"Doing what?" Tina pushed. "I've seen her hanging out with you and some others. So if she's so busy she can't hang out with me anymore, why does she still have time to hang out with you guys?"

"Ask her." He turned, tired and annoyed and not in the mood to deal with Tina's obsession when it came to Lana.

"I would if she'd actually give me two seconds!" Tina snapped at his back before snarling and storming away.

He shook his head, wanting nothing more than to collapse and sleep for a couple of days straight, frustrated and annoyed that he couldn't. There were too many questions in his mind for him to sleep properly anymore, and he kept waiting for the other shoe to fall. If they hadn't been attacked by Witch-Hunters, if Nell was right and there was another player in the game, then there were less and less reasons to sleep.

What could someone have gotten out of attacking them like that if the plan wasn't to kill them?

"I'm impressed."

He paused by the half open door of the Torch, wondering who exactly had stayed behind with Chloe after school.

"Well, now that we've managed to discredit the whole escaped wolf theory, and also decided that thanks to the lunar cycle it definitely can't be a werewolf-what's our next move?" Van wanted to know. "After that junkie asshole attacked you and trashed this place we've been left working with basics."

"You don't need technology to break a case, Van." Chloe declared all sagely. "You just need a passion for the truth."

"And the freaky." He mumbled. "I mean, just look at the Wall of Weird."

"I'm relieved that he didn't destroy that." Chloe admitted softly. "That's years of research."

Whitney turned and leaned his back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

She cleared her throat. "You have a date with Dawn tonight, right?"

"Yep." He declared, obviously gleeful. "You and Justin finally going out?"

"Justin and I are only friends and colleagues." She reprimanded.

"He wants your V-Card."

"Van!" She cried out, horrified.

Whitney blinked, turning his head towards the door, surprised at that little news.

"Just get out of here before I chop off something Dawn'll miss." Chloe grumbled.

Van chuckled. "See you tomorrow." And with that he emerged from the doorway, going through something in his bag and not noticing Whitney as he continued in the opposite direction.

Whitney watched him go, wondering what exactly Chloe saw in the dude, before shaking his head and pushing away from the wall, entering through the door. "Aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

Chloe turned around from where she was looking out of the window. "Dad's got a big meeting and won't know if I'm not home."

"I thought he calls you at the house?" Whitney closed the door and leaned back against it.

She grinned evilly. "I programmed the home phone so that it forwards all incoming calls to my mobile."

Whitney chuckled, shaking his head.

"So what brings you to the Torch?" Chloe asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"My aunt in Grandville is sick and my mother has gone for a couple days…so I don't want to spend more time home than necessary." Whitney wasn't sure why he was being so truthful with her as he shucked his hands in his hoodie's pockets. "So I was thinking we could spend this evening going over the bestiary and other books I got which could help us figure out what your little wolf is."

She smiled, nodding. "That would be great."

"What do you do if it's a skin walker though?" He wanted to know curiously. "It's not like the other stories you write about in the Torch."

"I know." Chloe nodded. "It all depends on the truth, I suppose."

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Gazing up over the book Whitney had passed her before getting up to serve himself another slice of pizza, Chloe eyed the Quarterback and wondered exactly when his coming to her house had seemed less than mind-blowingly weird. Then again, the blonde was quickly being showed that she'd judged every single person in the circle before really getting to know them, and had been somewhat of a snob in her prejudices. With Clark and Pete she'd been hurt and on the defensive, refusing to let their abandonment hurt her more than it had to. But Lana, Whitney and Greg?

She's totally let herself be biased against them and hadn't given them a chance to prove themselves otherwise.

It made her feel like a bitch.

Whitney, oblivious to her stare and thoughts, turned back towards her and collapsed next to her on the sofa, chewing on his pizza as he stared at the contents of the page in the book she held. "These are the options I've been able to narrow it to after seeing the video, checking the lunar schedule, and all other factors." He chewed another bite, lifting his feet and resting them on the coffee table. "I was thinking we could work through them one by one by the process of elimination."

There were only a few options, so that didn't seem so bad. "You really put a lot of thought into these, I never even considered half of them-and I think about the weird a lot."

"You don't have a bestiary." Whitney shrugged. "It's the only magical thing about my family that my father wasn't an asshole about." He turned his blues on her. "I don't usually take it out of my home though. It's really ancient, really large, and heavy as fuck."

"So other than having a gift with healing and herbs the Fordman's are the bestiarians of the circle." Chloe nodded slowly to herself. "You're all sorts of useful, aren't you?"

"And you just thought I was only a part of the circle because of my good looks." He smirked.

She chuckled, shaking her head, feeling a little guilty because a couple months ago that would have been exactly what she'd have thought. "I'm sure they didn't hurt your chances."

He paused, staring at her before chuckling, shaking his head.

1 - Skinwalker

2 - Some sort of "pagan god" like Fenrir

3 - Spirit Animal

4 - Familiar

"What's the difference between a Spirit Animal, a Familiar, and a Skinwalker?" Chloe wanted to know, not afraid to ask questions.

"Well, a Skinwalker is someone who can turn himself into an animal, a Familiar is an animal being controlled by a witch, and a Spirit Animal...well...it's more native american shamanism than euro-american witchcraft, but remember that the Kawatche Indians used to live here." Whitney shocked her by remembering such stuff from history class that she herself had forgotten. "Some say that it's the spirit that you most resemble, and that it doesn't really manifest other than to give wisdom to or project the shaman...but I've been reading and there were theories that the strongest of shamans could take the forms of their spirit animals in some sort of astral projection."

"Whoa." Chloe blinked.

He nodded.

Her gaze lowered to the list once more. "About Fenrir...you don't really think pagan gods really exist...do you?"

"A year ago I wouldn't have believed witches existed." He reminded.

"Right. Great point." She breathed, a little uneasy at this new possibility.

Whitney cleared his throat, staring at the options before his baby blues rose to her greens. "Has Nell approached you lately about binding the circle?"

She sighed, returning his gaze. "Yeah."

"And?" Whitney leaned hard against the sofa, turning more towards her.

"I'm not sure." Chloe admitted, a little annoyed she was even contemplating it. "We almost didn't survive the last attack-Greg's hands are still scarred and will probably always be a little scarred no matter how much healing magic is used-and that wasn't even the handywork of the Witch-Hunters." She turned more towards him as well, their feet ending up touching. "Means that other than the Witch-Hunters, we have someone we need to be careful of."

Whitney nodded, obviously having thought this all himself.

Chloe's gaze went to the page on her book, a little resentful that John hadn't gotten back into contact with her-still how was he supposed to know about what'd happened to her? Also, he had a life of his own and obviously some sort of crisis as well, so she knew she had to cut him some slack. The issue was though with him MIA it meant that she was forced to have to deal with Nell Potter again (Mrs Kent refusing to teach any of the other kids unless they got parental permission) and Chloe didn't want to deal with Nell, she just didn't take to her.

Also, she felt a little deceived.

She'd done serious magic-group magic-and no one was acting as if they had some sort of addiction on her.

Just look at Whitney. Out of all of the members of the circle she'd done the most magic with him, and yet he was showing no signs of being desperate for physical or magical contact.

It made her feel as if maybe John had lied to her, but she couldn't find a reason for him doing so.

What would he get out of keeping her from becoming a part of a circle?

"What if we did it?" Whitney asked the question that'd been on her mind. "What if we bound the circle?"

Chloe bit her bottom lip as she stared at him, not knowing how to answer.

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"She's definitely a Balcoin, I've watched her in action." Davis' voice matched the gravity on his face. "And also, I can confirm Balcoin himself is alive."

Lex leaned forwards, eyes narrowed as he stared at Davis' face during their skype session. "How can you be sure?"

"Because," Davis' dark eyes seemed darker. "He's here."

"What?" Lex hissed, eyes widening. "You've seen him yourself?"

"In the flesh." Davis declared, licking his lips. "John Blackwell is back in Chance Harbor, and is in contact with the circle here."

Lex was quiet for a moment, steepling his fingers, having already suspected Blackwell's death being faked and yet having such proof before him was outstanding. He wasn't exactly sure how to proceed, so many different viable options before him.

"I know what you wanted me to do if I found out Cassie Blake was a Balcoin..." Davis hesitated. "Has Blackwell's reappearance changed your desires in any way or am I still to go ahead with the plan? Because if I am, I'll need backup."

"No, don't do anything yet." Lex shook his head. "Blackwell being alive changes things. Do you think any of them have picked up on who or what you are?"

"I'm good at staying in the shadows." Davis smirked.

He knew that, it was why he'd sent Davis on this most important mission. "I want you to stay there and keep an eye on them, Blackwell especially. Find out as much as you can as discreetly as possible. Don't approach him or the circle, and I want reports every evening. If I don't hear from you one evening I'll assume the worst has happened and I'll be sending in reinforcements."

Davis nodded. "Got it." With that he ended the Skype call, his screen going blank.

Lex let out a little breath as he leaned harder against the chair in his office.

John Blackwell-John Balcoin-was alive.

Alive.

And apparently, so was his bloodline.

There was Cassie Blake in Chance Harbor, who'd foiled the Witch-Hunters with the use of her black magic...

...and then there were the other two circles that Balcoin had been known to associate with.

Exiting out of Skype, Lex's finegrs tapped on the keyboard and a split screen appeared, the top screen showing the video results of the two other circles, both had passed the test and were definitely strong. And yet some members stood out a little more than the others in each of the separate tests.

A nagging feeling began creeping within him.

What if Cassie Blake wasn't the only Balcoin child out there?

What if there were more?

What if someone else was the Firstborn?

His blues narrowed on the split screen, which showed action shots of each of the members of the two individual circles.

What if one of these other kids were Balcoins as well?

Their ages all matched the time Balcoin would have gone to their circles.

Leaning back hard on his chair, Lex steepled his fingers, contemplating his next move.

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"Potter residence, Nell speaking." Nell looked up from where Lana was reading the Potter Book of Shadows out on the porch, sitting next to Clark on the swing. She could feel nostalgia, remembering when she was their age and had the largest crush on Jonathan Kent. Sure, Clark took more after his mother's family than Jonathan's, but it just seemed a little like vindication. A Potter and a Kent. Hadn't her mother had feelings for Hiram Kent once upon a time?

Maybe, just maybe, this was the Potter and Kent connection that would work.

"Hi Miss Potter." Tina Greer, that sad, pathetic little girl that followed Lana around like a little puppy, cleared her throat. "I was wondering if Lana was around and I could speak to her."

"I'm sorry Tina, but she's busy with Clark at the moment and doesn't have time to come to the phone." Nell tried for apologetic, although she had to admit that she was happy that Lana was finally putting some distance between her and this girl-whose fascination with being like Lana was very unhealthy for the both of them. "You have a good night now."

With that she hung up, gave the chuckling teens outside a little smile, and left them to their privacy.

There was still much she had to plan...somehow she knew that things were slowly falling into place...and the circle would be bound.

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"Wichita." Greg raised an eyebrow, sitting on the windowframe of the room he was not supposed to be in.

"Wichita." Pete agreed sourly, the christian music his parents were listening thankfully drowning out the sound of his and Greg's conversation. "I'm thinking it's a last resort, but they're definitely considering it."

"They can't take you to Wichita." Greg scoffed. "There's no circle that we know of in Wichita. It's just full of-what do you call them? Wichitans?"

"I have no idea." Pete made a face. "And anyway, it's because of that that they want us to go. They don't want my soul going to hell. We'd be staying with Uncle Rev for the first couple of months until my parents find a place of their own."

"Rev for Reverend?" Greg made up his face when the other boy nodded. "Reverend of what?"

"One of the local churches." Pete mumbled.

Greg snorted, shaking his head. "Aren't they worried you'll burst into flames if they force you into church?"

"Har har. For your information I like church services...I just don't like being forced to not use my powers. They're natural and god-given. The devil has nothing to do with them or me…something mom should know. I don't get what's wrong with her and why she turned her back on everything like this and expects me to do the same thing." Pete grumbled, not at all amused with this at all. "I don't want to go to Wichita."

"This might come as a shock to you, but I doubt any of us would want you to go, especially Nell." Greg pointed out. "She'll find a way to convince your parents to stay."

"She made things worse when she came to talk to then." Pete threw himself on his bed with a groan. "Mom's blaming herself for everything and dad's all too happy to let her do so. He nearly threw Nell out when she admitted to tutoring me against his wishes, and mom threatened to go to Chloe's dad and tell him everything if Nell didn't stop seeing me." He made a face. "She backed down then and left in a huff."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "She actually cared if Chloe's dad found out?"

"Well, he's like your mom." Pete pointed out. "The only ones married into the Old circle who didn't realize what that meant. Though how Chloe's mom and your dad kept that a secret from them is surprising."

Remembering his mother, and the very shaky ground they were on at the moment, Greg made a face. "I'm still surprised she cares if Chloe's dad finds out. I've never actually met him myself but it's common knowledge in Smallville that Chloe's got him wrapped around her little finger."

"She does." Pete's lips twitched for a moment, before sighing. "I guess Nell's worried that if Mr Sullivan finds out I mightn't be the only one leaving Smallville and by proxy, the circle." He frowned. "And she's always had that 'Hibbins, Withridge and Thoreaux are always in the same circle' thing."

"It gets annoying sometimes. She's hot, and I'm still going to hit that one of these days before she gets too old...but her attitude is frustrating at times when it comes to the circle and everyone's place in it." Greg had to admit, not sure what to think about that considering he was the Withridge. "I feel like I'm a collector's item or something."

Pete turned to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "At least you're one of the "important" ones."

Greg snorted, gaze going to him. "Says one of the strongest of our circle."

Pete looked up at that. "I'm not one of the strongest."

"Even with the dust made from that root that suppresses magic you were able to summon enough magic for your fingers to glow slightly." Greg raised an eyebrow, leaning hard on the windowsill. "And you were the first one who was able to break free. Not Lana. You." Dark eyes rolled. "Don't make me peptalk you again, okay? I'm not signing up for any sort of bromance so get a hold of yourself you hormonal girl."

Pete chuckled, shaking his head as he finally sat back up, staring at Greg. "Thanks. I needed that."

"If you get anymore emotional I'm going to start bringing you chocolate or something." Greg grumbled, although his lips twitched in betrayal of the smile he fought. "Now stop lamenting the thought of going to Wichita-which wont happen-and do something useful with your time in lock-up."

"Useful such as...?" Pete tilted his head to the side.

Greg grinned. "We're going to plan a party."

Pete raised an eyebrow. "I'm grounded till only god knows when, and you want me to help you plan a party?"

"Exactly!" Greg nodded, as if this should be obvious. "Too much stuff has happened to us and we all need to relax. We can have it at the Talon. I'm sure Nell won't mind us doing some Circle-Bonding."

"Again. I'm grounded." Pete raised an eyebrow.

"Always ways around that." Greg assured him. "Now grab a pen and paper, I'm getting genius ideas."

Shaking his head, lips twitching, Pete did as told

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"Have you noticed that now with the wolf thing, the not-Witch-Hunters thing, and now the maybe Circle Binding thing-we have no time for the Finding Your Family's Book thing?" Whitney asked as he slammed his door closed, resting his elbow out of the open window as he started the ignition and turned to look at her.

"It had occurred to me." She admitted, hands clasped behind her back. "I've been doing some searching on my own though, and I'm almost completely sure that if it's in the house, it's not in the first floor."

"Second floor it is then." Whitney nodded. "Your dad usually stay out this late all the time?"

"Yep." She nodded. "So is the life of the manager of the Luthorcorp Smallville Fertilizer Plant. Bet you didn't realize it was so time consuming."

"Definitely didn't." He agreed, giving her house a little look. "You going to be okay here by yourself? We were attacked by the minions of some mysterious asshole who's still out there, and you're the only one who's always home alone."

She was a little taken aback by that, not having considered it before. "Careful Whitney, you sound like you're worried about me."

He made up his nose at her. "Don't let it get to your head. I'm worried about all of us after what happened. And to be honest, I'm more disturbed by your kidnapping than everyone else's."

"Why is that?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Chloe, the dude who jacked you full of that paralyzing agent was taking you out of town." Whitney frowned. "He wasn't even taking you in the direction of Miller's Field, he was heading in the opposite direction." His blues were grave as they met her wide greens. "So if he wasn't taking you to where the others were...where exactly was he taking you?"

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"Are you sure about this?" Gabe Sullivan, holed up in his office, was going over the data John had sent over, deeply disturbed.

"You've seen the information yourself." John replied, the sound of his footsteps betraying the fact that he was walking as he spoke. "If I weren't finally starting to make some leeway with Cassie and her circle I'd go there and deal with it myself, but as it is I cannot afford to leave here for a moment."

"Do you believe you can trust this boy in her circle as your ally?" Gabe wanted to know. "Jake Armstrong used to be a part of the Witch-Hunters. Can he truly be trusted?"

"He's infatuated with her, and I know he'll do what has to be done, no matter what it is. I can see what the Witch-Hunters saw in him, he's a good soldier." John replied. "And anyone I can use to make sure that Cassie and Ethan's boy stay as far from the other as possible is someone I'll keep close."

"Would it really be so horrible if the Conants and Blakes finally fulfilled their destiny?" Gabe wanted to know, leaning back in his seat.

"You know exactly what would happen if that were to occur, and I will not allow it." He grumbled, clearing his throat. "I'm already working on something to deal with that little issue, don't worry about that."

"I have enough to worry about." Gabe's gaze went to his screen, at the wolf creature attacking Farmer Jenkins' cattle. "Why didn't you show this to me sooner?"

"I had to be sure."

"And you are?"

"Yes." John cleared his throat. "Definitely."

Gabe let out a little sigh, bringing his hand to his head. "What do you want me to do about this?"

John hesitated a moment, before answering. "Leave it, for now. Slaughtering cattle is a very odd move. Let's see how this plays out."

"But Chloe-." Gabe worried.

"You've already heard me Gabe." John interrupted. "Do nothing. I'll keep you informed on anything you need to know."

And with that he hung up.

Cursing softly, Gabe hung up the call, gaze going to the screen of the video Chloe had taken of the wolf creature, unease curling in the base of his stomach.

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**TBC**


	14. Hungry Like The Wolf

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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She didn't know exactly what it was that woke her up, because she'd been in a deep sleep dreaming about the night she'd witnessed those hooded people through her camera's nightvision, remembering only snippets of the conversation, although three screamed at her: "Firstborn", "Balcoin" & "Here". In her dream as she strained her ears to hear, Chloe wondered for the first time about the "Firstborn" comment that had the hooded people nervous, and then the "here" that had them gasping in shock. Were they looking for a specific witch? John had told her that she was a Firstborn of her family, so maybe...maybe Balcoin wasn't a word...maybe it was a _name_.

The necklace that rested against her chest burnt...shinning brightly...and it was in the middle of this that Chloe awoke, gasping for breath, hand going to her cooled necklace.

She didn't have time to digest what had come to her in her dreams, because there, standing above her on the bed was that wolf creature. It's white fur was barely visible in the darkness, its eyes glowing as it snarled at her, showing its teeth, far too close.

Gaze going to the window, finding it open when she'd closed it, Chloe returned her gaze to the wolf, who snapped its saliva-dripping fangs at her face.

Crying out, Chloe pressed harder into the pillow, turning her head away from the creature in a sign of canine submission.

Its saliva dribbled onto her cheek, trailing down her neck.

As fear rose in her chest, the blonde tightening her grip on the pendant around her neck, something else churned in her stomach. It was that other side of her magic, the one that felt so real, so natural, so right. She didn't have to think when it came to this magic as when she tried to do circle magic, and the blonde didn't understand why sometimes it felt as if there were completely different sources and magics inside of her.

But this wasn't the time to wonder, because as the growling creature bit deep into her shoulder, Chloe screamed...and something erupted out of her like a wave of power...the lights in the street posts surrounding her house all exploding simultaneously.

The creature was thrown off of her with that explosion, hitting the opposite wall hard enough to leave an indent, letting out a yelp of pain as it fell to the ground.

Chloe sat up, bringing her hand to her wounded shoulder as her other moved towards the wolf.

It saw this and quickly stood, racing towards the window and jumping out.

She was on the second story.

Chloe hurried to her bedroom window and gazed outside, finding no evidence of the creature anymore. The blonde locked the window and turned, trailing down the wall, whimpering at the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

What the hell had just happened?

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Inside the house Cassie and Adam consummated their love for the very first time.

Outside the house, ravens flew in the hundreds before beginning to drop dead in a perfect circle around the house.

It might seem like a bit of an overkill, but as John stood in the shadows he knew that if this was going to work he was truly going to have to convince Cassie and Adam about the curse. And what said "horrible, bloodline curse" then hundreds of dead birds?

He needed to hurry, to get things ready.

Time was drawing nigh.

He knew that the children were still wary of him, but he was the only one who they could turn to, and turn to him they were.

Cassie might have destroyed the medallion but that was okay. Better destroyed than in someone else's hands.

Soon he'd have the crystals…and with them the crystal skull…and then the time of hiding would be long over.

The Balcoins would return to their rightful place in the world, and they'd flourish.

He smirked as he walked away, hands in his pockets, already imagining the new world he'd forge with the help of his children.

So into his thoughts, John never noticed the man leaning in the shadows of a nearby house, hood over his head, dark eyes watching.

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"I can't believe it climbed into your room and _attacked_ you!" Clark snapped, pacing back and forth in the Talon as Whitney tended to Chloe's wounds, pressing a poultice of herbs into the bite marks after having cleaned the wounds with witch hazel and some other herbal waters.

"It has to know you're onto it. Whatever it is." Whitney mumbled, applying the poultice carefully.

"_I_ can't believe how lucky you are that your father wasn't around." Greg pointed out from where he was smoking. "I mean, if he'd have been there not only would the wolf probably have attacked him-but your secret would be out in the open."

"Where _is_ your father?" Lana asked softly, bringing some pain killers and a glass of water.

"I'm guessing he's still at work." Chloe shrugged as she downed them desperately. "Sometimes he spends all-nighters."

"It's strange though." Pete, who'd snuck out and ditched his grounding once he'd heard about the attack, leaned against the wall. "I mean, he _knows_ you were attacked-and yet he leaves you alone."

"I didn't get attacked at _home_." She pointed out, defensive. "Plus he doesn't know the _half_ about what's really going on. We really can't blame him."

"Chloe's dad's not the issue." Clark, as always, came to her rescue. "The point is that that thing tried to _kill_ her."

"I wouldn't say that." Whitney disagreed.

"You're patching up her wounds! _How_ can you say that?" Clark snapped at him, proving how much this had affected him.

"It's _because_ I'm patching her up that I can say it." Whitney replied quite levelly, gazing up at Clark. "Chloe ran us through the situation and if it had wanted to kill her it would have. All it had to do was bite down on her neck. Instead it diverted and chomped down on her shoulder. Why?"

"It's warning her off." Lana whispered, pulling a dark strand behind her ear.

"_Exactly_." Whitney nodded, beginning to bandage her shoulder with gauze. "The point of that mission was to let her know that it knew she was investigating it, and to tell her to stop."

"So you stop." Clark declared.

"The _hell_ I will!" Chloe scoffed in discord. "That thing could have killed me tonight!"

"Exactly!" Clark snapped.

"I am _not_ going to stop investigating it." She narrowed her gaze at Clark, refusing to back down. "Just because of a little attack-."

"Witch-Hunters." Clark interrupted. "Some mysterious person who's testing us…are those not enough? Do you have to add a _psycho wolf_ to that too?"

"To be fair, she was investigating the wolf _before_ the other stuff." Greg, as always, was the Devil's Advocate.

"_Thank you_!" Chloe declared.

"You're very welcome." He grinned a smoky grin.

"You are _not_ helping." Clark pointed his finger at the boy in leather.

"You." Greg pointed right back, a little mockingly. "I'm helping _her_ just fine."

Clark gave a little growl.

"We need to tell Aunt Nell." Lana finally spoke, sighing as she rose her hazels to Chloe's greens. "I know you didn't want to, but things have obviously escalated. It's _attacking_ you and she might be able to help at least figure out what it is!"

"At least we can rule out Spirit Animal/Astral Projection." Whitney mumbled as he secured the bandages.

"How so?" Chloe turned her head towards his in surprise.

"When you went to the kitchen and answered your dad's call, I hid a blessed pouch at the center of your house. I figured if it was astral projection this might happen, and the pouch was designed to keep anything like that from being able to come inside." Whitney mumbled, clearly uncomfortable with having to reveal this. "There isn't exactly a specific stone or ritual that I've found to protect someone from astral projection per se, but I used kyanite (projection during astral projection), fire agate (aura protection), moqui marbles (psychic protection) and Halit (protection for homes and other buildings)." He sighed, making a face. "The combination should have worked if we were dealing with astral projection…so it's definitely not that."

There was silence in the room.

Whitney looked up, narrowing his eyes at them. "_What_?"

"Nothing." Clark cleared his throat, looking away, although his lips were twitching.

"I just think everyone's shocked to realize just how much of a _nerd_ you are, Fordman." Greg snorted in amusement.

Whitney flipped him the bird.

Chloe leaned over and pressed a kiss to the Quarterback's cheek. "_Thank you_."

Whitney went still, eyes wide, before turning towards her and clearing his throat as he looked away. "How many times do I have to tell you not to let these things go to your head?"

Chloe smiled at him.

Lana smiled at _them_, tilting her head to the side and resting it against Pete's thigh, the witch sitting on the sofa's armrest.

Pete went red, clearing his throat. "I, uh, should be going back before they find out I'm gone…again."

Lana sighed, looking up at him. "Hopefully your parents will unground you soon and let you come back to the Talon. We miss you Pete."

He went redder, nodding wordlessly as he scrambled off of the sofa. "They'll come around."

"Unless they ship him off to Wichita first." Greg declared.

"_What_?" Clark turned to Pete in shock. "_Wichita_?"

He flinched, sitting back down again, a bit deflated. "It's being talked about."

"But they _can't_ take you!" Lana gasped in horror. "You're a part of our circle!"

"We haven't bound it yet." Pete shrugged, obviously somewhat depressed. "You could always replace me with someone else after I'm gone."

"You're not replaceable Pete." Lana frowned, resting her hand on his knee.

Once again, Pete gulped, loudly, his Adam's Apple bobbing with the movement.

Suddenly Chloe stood, eyes wide as she pulled on her jacket, flinching as it brushed against her bandages. "I have to go."

"What's wrong?" Lana asked, standing as well.

"_Van_." Chloe was already walking towards the door. "If that thing knew that I was investigating it, it's going to know that _Van_ was as well, and he doesn't have any magic to protect him!"

"You can't think-." Clark began.

Greg stood, stretching. "I'll take her. Both of them are on my way home anyway." His dark gaze turned to Clark. "Drop Pete off for me?"

Clark looked between them before nodding.

"Why don't you just _call_ him?" Pete called after Chloe.

"He turns off his cell at night!" She called back, hurrying out the front door.

Greg saluted the rest of the circle before hurrying out after the blonde.

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"Come back, _immediately_." Lex snapped into his cellular.

"You don't get to boss me around." Patricia declared easily, not at all intimidated by his ire.

"This isn't a _game_, Pat." He growled, running his hand over his bald head. "This is John Balcoin."

"Exactly." She agreed. "John Balcoin. The man we've been studying since prepubescence. You're telling me he's alive, in Chance Harbor-and _didn't_ expect me to pack my stuff the second we ended our phone call?"

He cursed. "Don't blow this for us. Davis-."

"Won't mind me as backup. He can't even do magic as long as someone else from our circle isn't around-how fair is that on him? Especially with this being _Balcoin_ we're dealing with. Plus, it'll help give him a reason for being there-a cute college couple on a little vacation." She was, of course, not listening to any sort of reason, the pigheaded woman.

"Come back." Lex ordered.

"No." She refused. "I'm going to Chance Harbor if it's the last thing I do. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Lex opened his mouth to challenge that.

And that was when he heard it.

Honking.

Patricia screaming.

Metal crunching.

And then silence.

"_Patricia_?" Lex whispered, hold on the phone tightening. "_Pat_?"

And then he felt it, the most horrifying, painful feeling a circle member could ever experience.

The circle…_broke._

Dropping the phone, Lex staggered to his chair and collapsed on it, staring ahead of him in shock.

A lone, silent tear made its way down his pale cheek.

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The light turned on and the sound of feet padding against the floor heralded Van's appearance at the window, the shirtless guy rubbing his eyes as he unlocked his window and opened it. "What the hell?"

"You're okay." Chloe whispered, relieved. "I was so worried!"

Leaning against the window frame, Van yawned. "Why? What's up?" Only then did he notice her bandages. "What happened?"

"Get in get in get in!" Greg hissed, arriving behind her. "I just saw the damned thing!"

"_What_?" Chloe looked behind her in fear.

Greg glared at Van. "Help us in!"

"What is going _on_?" Van blinked, reaching out and pulling Chloe inside before making way so Greg could slide in, the brunet closing the window and locking it, staring outside.

Chloe and Greg joined him on each side, three zeroing on the white wolf as it sat next to Greg's motorcycle, just staring at them.

"_The fuck_?" Van hissed, eyes wide.

"It attacked me." She whispered, hand going to her bandages. "I figured it might go after you next so I came to warn you."

"Thanks for the heads up." Van mumbled, staring outside, eyes wide. "But uh," his gaze slid to Greg. "What were you doing with Arkin? It's like, four in the morning."

"You mean she hasn't told you about us?" Greg raised an eyebrow. "I thought you two were closer than that."

Chloe sent him a look.

"Told me about what?" Van made a face, confused.

"We're deeply in love." Greg moved around him to wrap an arm around Chloe, pulling her to him. "It's a destiny written in the stars. Sonnets will be written about us, just give it time."

The blonde barely kept herself from raising an eyebrow at him.

He winked at her, obviously highly amused with himself.

"Really?" Van up his face as he eyed them before snorting. "Justin's gonna get his heart ripped out when he finds this out."

"Justin? Which Justin?" Greg wanted to know in intrigue. "Justin Calvin?" At Van's head shake Greg's eyes widened and he sniggered. "Justin _Gaines_? Seriously?" He turned his head to laugh at Chloe. "Justin Gaines is in love with you?"

"He's not in love with me." She grumbled, only letting Greg's little farce slide because it was the easiest way to explain why she was with him at this moment. "He's just a really sweet guy."

Van snorted. "That guy's got a fair bit of darkness in him. He just hides it from you."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Justin wouldn't hurt a fly."

"_Right_." Van shook his head, gaze going back outside. "Not to change the subject or anything, but what's the game plan wolfie-wise?"

"Well, I'm not going back out there, if that's what you're asking." Greg snorted, staring over Chloe's head at the creature. "It better not mess with my ride, that's all I'm saying."

"Dawn's in a couple of hours. It's never shown itself in broad daylight." Chloe reasoned. "Once the sun's up Greg and I'll get out of your hair."

"I meant what we're going to do since this thing's obviously smart." Van corrected.

"Oh." Chloe cleared her throat. "I think we need to cool off on the investigation for now. It obviously doesn't want us to keep investigating it…and it attacked me in my bedroom to prove it."

"But your bedroom's on the second floor." Van made a face.

"How does he know that?" Greg wanted to know.

She ignored Greg, eyes on Van. "_Exactly_."

"Fuck." Van gave the beast outside a look, deep in thought. "We could always shoot it."

"Excuse me?" Greg chuckled. "You got a cache of guns and ammo stacked in here that we don't know of?"

"Yeah." Van nodded, surprising the hell out of them, and looking annoyed at their obvious shock. "My dad's in the army. I've known how to shoot since I was old enough to hold a gun." He took in a deep breath. "I say we hunt the bitch."

Chloe and Greg shared looks, before the blonde turned to her photographer, realizing she wasn't the only one with secrets. "If this thing is as intelligent as we think it is, it could target Dawn if we push it too far."

And that was when she saw the crack in Van's face, the fear. "_Jesus_."

She nodded. "I say we back off. You lose some, you win some."

He was obviously not happy, but didn't say anything as he sat down on his bed. "_Fine_."

Greg sauntered to the beanie bag and threw himself onto it. "Might as well get comfortable." He patted his lap. "Come here sweetie pie."

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at him, Chloe turned towards the window. "Someone should keep an eye on that thing. It _did_ somehow open my bedroom window."

Van threw himself back against the bed, pulling a pillow over his face and groaning. "This can't be happening."

Feeling guilty for getting him into this situation, Chloe sighed before returning her gaze outside to that beast, taking the first watch.

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Jason leaned against the wall, arms folded over his body as he stared at Lex, who just stared at his blank computer. They'd all felt it the moment that Patricia had died, the circle instantaneously breaking and dissolving, leaving them feeling shattered and somewhat uneven. They'd always promised themselves as children that if one of them died they'd never bind their circle with anyone else, and with Patricia gone it meant that they would never truly be a circle anymore.

Considering he'd never truly felt like family in his _own_ family, well, this was devastating to Jason.

Then again, none of the members of their circle had ever had a real family.

It was why they'd molded together dysfunctionally the way they had.

"What do we do now?" He finally asked their leader.

"Patricia's death changes nothing." Lex was very good at hiding his emotions, and yet despite his even voice and calm demeanor Jason could see the emotions raw in his blue eyes. "I'm sending Tess and Oliver to Chance Harbor. Patricia was right. He needs backup now that we know for a fact that Balcoin is alive and there."

Jason nodded. "What about me?"

Lex stared up at him. "You and I will be going on a special little mission."

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_A blonde and brunet locked in carnal pleasure. A house outlined by darkness. Dead birds circling the house._

Gasping, Chloe awoke, taking in a deep breath as she looked around her, a little disoriented and confused, not exactly sure where she was. It took her a couple of minutes for everything to return, and to be honest it only did when she realized she was sleeping against Greg on the ground and that Van was snoring shirtless on the bed. Both she and her fellow witch were sharing a pillow and a blanket, her body stiff from sleeping on the floor.

Yawning, the blonde stood and flinched as she stretched before heading towards the window, staring out at the dawn-covered earth.

The wolf was gone.

She turned to the brunet. "_Greg_."

He ignored her.

"_Greg_!" Making a face when he didn't react, Chloe crept to the brunet and shook him. "Greg, the wolf's gone."

"Five more minutes." He mumbled, before beginning to snore again.

She shook her head, before slowly lowering herself to the ground and reaching for the blanket, pulling it over her body, figuring she could do with five minutes as well.

The blonde closed her eyes, and sleep overtook.

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**TBC**


	15. What The Ash Told

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"These are great. " Chloe gave a little chuckle as she gazed at this week's The Ville. "I have to say, I'm partial to Austin Aimes at this moment for tracking down the guy who trashed The Latern and bringing him to justice."

Justin grinned. "I thought you might like that."

"Also, Cory Sullen getting to choose his punish gave me a sense of vindication." She flashed him a bright smile. "Your work keeps getting better and better." She leaned forwards on her desk, thankfully most of the things in the Torch had been salvageable. "You should really think about making all of these into a real comic book and getting it published somewhere. They're really good."

He blushed slightly, grin growing. "You really think so?"

"Are you kidding?" She shook her head in shock. "You're incredibly talented. I'm already practicing my 'I went to high school with him' speech."

Justin chuckled, blushing deeper as he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze. "I'm not all that."

"I think you are."

He looked up at that, eyes wide, face crimson.

Suddenly the door was flung open, and Greg strode into the room, barely giving Justin a look before slamming his hands flat down on her desk, eyeing her gravely. "You drooled on my jacket last night while you were sleeping."

The blonde's lips parted in indignation. "I did not!"

"You did too." He motioned to some invisible spot on his jacket. "You drooled, you harpy! Do you know how expensive it is to clean leather?"

Chloe reached out and grabbed his jacket, yanking him down closer towards her as she glared up at him. "Call me harpy one more time and they'll be cleaning blood out of it."

He blinked before smirking putting his still scarred hands up in a submissive gesture. "You're just so violent."

Rolling her eyes at him, Chloe let go, watching him straightening up. "Is that all or can I get back to what I was doing before you bursted in here like you owned the joint and butted into our conversation?"

"Just wanted to remind you about tonight." He shrugged.

"I wouldn't forget that." She sighed.

Greg pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. "Yes, well, I was asked to remind you since the others are all busy doing their own little things and I'm the only one who was smart enough not to join a club of some sort."

"No smoking in the Torch." She stood and grabbed the cigarette from his lips, stealing it away. "Or in the school for that matter."

"What are you? Principle Kwan?"

She gave him a look, throwing the cigarette into her drawer. "As you were, Mister Arkin."

He gave a little shiver. "It's so accurate it's freaky." And with that he walked out, shaking his head to himself.

Smiling at his back, Chloe shook her head before returning her greens on a much more subdued Justin. "Sorry about that. He's a real philistine sometimes."

Justin nodded, holding his bag to his chest. "I got to go."

"Sure." Chloe watched him in confusion as he left, shaking her head, wondering what had happened.

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Davis leaned against the door, arms folded over his chest, eyes narrowed as he went over what they'd just found out.

"What does Blackwell get out of breaking up his daughter's relationship with the Conant boy?" Oliver wanted to know, sitting on the bed next to Tess, who was unusually quiet, had been ever since Pat-.

"There's a prophecy that the Blakes and Conants are destined for each other." Tess muttered, lying down, hugging a pillow to her chest. "No one knows exactly what's supposed to happen should they get together, but so far things have always happened and while they're drawn to each other a Blake female has never gotten with a Conant male."

"And after that spell for them to stop loving each other..." Davis shook his head. "It's been averted for at least one more generation."

"Balcoin's really ruthless." Oliver snorted. "To do that to his own kid-and then nearly kill the her other circle mate just to convince them that the curse was real-."

"Like we haven't done ruthless things." Davis snorted, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Not to our family." Oliver countered.

"He's obviously readying for something big." Tess sat up, Indian Style, eyeing Davis. "And while the circle here is wary of him, they're still turning to him."

"We have nothing concrete though." Oliver reminded. "We still don't know what his end game is."

"How could we?" Davis wanted to know. "We're just staying in the background, safe. If we're going to find anything out we're going to have to be more present, but we're going to risk being found out."

Oliver swallowed, nodding. "And His Baldness has ordered we stay in the background, unseen."

"Should we even be taking orders from him right now?" Tess wanted to know. "With Pat-he's not himself right now."

"He's still the leader of our circle." Davis declared, ever faithful.

"What circle?" Tess countered. "Our circle's broken, gone."

"But we're not." Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder. "We're here, and we're still a family, a circle. Even if there's only five of us now."

She didn't answer, but brought her hand to the one he had on her shoulder.

Resentful, as always, that he didn't have that...a person with whom he could find comfort from with just a touch...Davis' dark eyes slid away from them.

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"We've got most of the crystals." John declared to Gabe as he looked out at the group. He could see that Cassie was suffering, the spell not having worked on her due to the strength of her dark magic. It was as he'd planned, because now that she loved Adam, she could see how easily his emotions had been to sway while hers had stayed true. She'd be hurt for a while, as she was now, but she'd grow to resent him and how easily he'd forgotten his love for her. And that was what John was aiming for. He'd wanted Cassie to not only fall out of love with Adam, but to resent and detest him. John wanted to crush any sort of chance of them ever getting back together should for some reason the spell wear off of Adam.

"Most?" Gabe asked.

"The kids think they've found the location of the last crystal, at the school." John replied. "We'll be getting it tonight at the dance."

"And then..."

"Yes." John nodded. "I got word from Samuel, one of the Witch-Hunters. Eben has the demons I tried bringing up sixteen years ago and has allowed them to possess him. He will use them to try and end us-_me_-once and for all. This needs to end now."

"I can't believe he'd be fool enough to let them possess him!" Gabe hissed, obviously agitated.

"Diana found out that she's my daughter as well."

Gabe paused. "What?"

"Diana's my daughter." John replied, as if this wasn't some huge revelation.

"You have three daughters." Gabe whispered.

"And three sons." John declared, pride in his voice.

"I realized you had the six...but I hadn't realized they were...equal numbered." Gabe mumbled.

"I couldn't have planned it better myself." John admitted, before clearing his throat. "How is she?"

"Something happened a couple of nights ago, but I'm not sure what because I was out doing that thing for you." Gabe declared uneasily. "I believe she was attacked in her bedroom."

There was silence.

"There's a huge dent in the wall opposite her bed, and there's a trail of blood she's tried to scrub out of the wall below the window." He cleared his throat. "She's also wearing high necked shirts and winces, sometimes rubbing her shoulder. I've also found a bloody gauze in the trash when I was dumping it."

There was more silence until John finally spoke. "Don't worry Gabe. Soon I will have the crystal skull and this will be all over. She'll be safe."

Gabe sighed. "What about until that happens? What do you want me to do?"

"What do you want to do?" John asked curiously.

"I want to go hunting." Gabe responded without a second's thought.

There was a pause, and then the witch answered. "Happy Hunting."

The next thing he heard was the dial tone.

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Lex gazed at the necklace of the special, extremely rare green meteor rock. He could feel it weakening him, his veins on fire, his muscles inflamed as he held it with no protection on, the meteor known for its ability to weaken natural born witches. It had less of an affect on Dabblers-or witches who didn't get their magic through their bloodline but those who got it from other, unnatural means. It was why Lex had chosen to have his people use this on the circle while also using Colocasia root powder to block their powers completely. Only Colocasia powder was also used to block dark magic, but considering that that was what the Witch-Hunters had used when they'd tried killing John Blackwell all those years ago and had failed-well, obviously the Balcoin blood was strong enough to somehow negate the powers of the root.

The first circle Lex had used this on had managed to dull the effects so they could still use magic and kick butt even with them on, so obviously there was someone there with strong magic involved who'd done most of the dulling...but Lex couldn't figure out who...even while his gut was leading him to pinpoint two of the dark haired boys as the ones who'd channeled the magic.

And in the second, only three of the Smallville Circle had been in the Colocasia powder, wearing the green meteor necklaces. None of them had gotten free until the other three had come to save them.

And save them they had.

There'd been so much magic interference the video footage he'd managed to collect was blurry and not that focused, but it was more than enough to show that the wrath of god had been unleashed in that field.

Lex leaned forwards, watching the five members of the circle pressing against the barrier, trying to break it, nearly managing it and yet not enough.

Another girl, one who hadn't been visible throughout the whole video until now, limped towards the barrier, looking about ready to collapse. With the little amount of energy she had left, she pressed up against the barrier and seemed to try to hold onto consciousness as her lips moved wordlessly.

Then the boy next to her reached over and placed his hand on hers...and the barrier exploded.

That was when the footage abruptly ended, the screen fiery white.

Lex leaned back, bringing his hands to his mouth, deep in thought.

The sounds of honks, screams, crunching metal and then silence haunted the recesses of his mind.

He shook his head, closing his eyes against the haunting as he pushed it to the back of his mind, and forced himself to concentrate on what must be done.

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_**I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.**_

Chloe stared at the piece of paper that'd been left in the Torch's letter box in an envelop addressed to her.

With everything that'd happened, and the few days of peace she'd experienced since the wolf attack, Chloe had managed to forget about the note that'd been stashed in her locker the day of her attack at the Torch. But now here was another one of them, done exactly as the first had, and while the first note hadn't really grabbed her attention this one did. Maybe it was because of everything that'd been happening to her recently, but Chloe was annoyed and unnerved with this note.

"I know who you are." She whispered to herself, not paying attention at all in class as she should be, instead rereading the note.

If the note had said "I know _what_ you are" it would be easy to deduce that it was talking about her witchiness...but the "who" was totally throwing her off because how could this be construed as a threat or something similar?

She knew who she was.

Everyone knew it.

So what was the big deal?

What was whoever this was trying to prove?

"Ms Sullivan." Her teacher snapped, proving it wasn't the first time she'd spoken to her. "If you would kindly answer the question?"

Chloe jumped, looking around her in confusion, hazing zoned out and not too sure as to what the question had been.

"Shakespeare's a Midnight Summer's Dream." Clark cleared his throat as he answered.

"Correct." Mrs Harmon raised an eyebrow at Chloe before turning her back on the girl and walking towards the blackboard. "At least _someone_ is paying attention."

Chloe sunk lower into her seat, mouthing 'thank you' to Clark.

He smiled and mouthed back 'you're welcome' before turning to face the teacher once more.

Chloe's gaze lowered to the piece of paper once more.

_**I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.**_

Greens narrowed on the words.

She knew who she was...

...right?

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Whitney believed in the team. He believed in loyalty. He believed in following his coach to the letter of the word.

But as he reached for the vial in his bag and applied it to the freshly burnt skin on his arm from where Coach had grabbed him for getting in the middle of him and Trevor, well, he began to wonder whether there was a fine line between team loyalty and masochistic subservience. Considering the fact that he'd gotten used to packing this vial with burn elixir made him stop and think for a moment. Thankfully Coach never burnt them to the point where it'd leave scars...most of the time...but still. This wasn't discipline.

This was abuse.

"Thanks man." A voice declared from in front of him. "You didn't have to try and defend me like that."

Whitney looked up to see Trevor. "It's no problem."

The other team members were silent, changing back into clothes, yet were obviously listening to the exchange.

"H-how can the Coach do what he does?" Trevor stammered, unable to look at Whitney. "H-how is any of it possible?"

"How is _any_ of the weird shit that goes around here possible?" Bradley spoke up, pulling on his shirt. "He's a witch." He turned and glared at someone who snorted. "My grandmother told me all about it. We used to have witches here in Smallville. And they were all evil."

Whitney bit back his defense at that.

"That's not true." Surprisingly enough, it was Dan who came to the defense. "It wasn't the natural born witches that were the trouble. It was the Dabblers."

Dabblers?

Who the hell were they?

"How would you know that?" Bradley made a face.

Dan snorted. "You're not the only one with a grandparent."

"So what, we're thinking the Coach is a Dabbler?" Trevor asked in confusion.

"You guys can't seriously think Coach is an evil witch." Nathan snorted.

"Then how else do you explain what he can do?" Bradley wanted to know.

"Easy. Human evolution." Nathan replied. "We evolved from the Cavemen, and we'll keep evolving." He nodded all sagely. "One day, we'll have gills and shit."

The boys grumbled amongst themselves, everyone having some different sort of thought as to what the Coach was and how he could do what he did.

"What do you _mean_ 'what about Chloe'?" Someone asked the other.

Whitney looked up immediately.

"I'm just saying." Hank shrugged.

"You wanna sic her on _Coach_?" Caleb blinked in near horror.

"No, I-." Hank cleared his throat. "All I'm saying is that he wouldn't be the first…whatever…that she would have exposed." He looked around at the others watching him. "How much longer until one of us gets a burn we can't cover up and our parents find out? Or how much longer until Coach just _deep fries_ us."

There was silence as the guys shared looks.

Nathan cleared his throat. "I read the Torch, and believe me, she's going to go for the human evolution theory. She's hinted at it before in other articles." He made a face. "If _you_ decide to go to her, go with _that_ story. She'll probably just laugh you off if you go with the whole stupid witch story."

"I never said I was gonna do it." Hank mumbled, head lowered.

Silence returned to the changing room, none of the boys meeting each others' eyes.

Whitney frowned as he watched them all, digesting what he'd learnt, and fighting the unease he felt burning in his stomach.

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Nell stood in the middle of what remained of Miller's Field, ash and charred earth a reminder of exactly what had happened not too ago. She hugged her coat around her harder, the breeze unusually cool for this time of the year, her eyes narrowed on the little bit of opened earth. This place had been charred with an intense amount of magic, and while she was horrified at the destruction Nell couldn't help but feel proud that her circle was this powerful. This was advanced magic. This was strong magic. This-these kids shouldn't be able to perform at this high of a level yet.

Staying far away from the open mouth, Nell continued her walkthrough, opening her senses. She wasn't a Withridge, the Sight wasn't her family gift, but she was a Thoreaux and they had a special connection with the earth.

Pulling her hands from around herself, Nell kept them at her sides, raising them palms up, whispering her enchantment. "Ash of the earth, tell your tale."

Slowly the ash began to move at her feet, dancing listlessly in the win before beginning to form into indistinguishable bodies.

Nell stepped back, eyes narrowed as she saw six crosses, three upon which were tied three bodies, one smaller and thinner, somewhat feminine. There were cloaked bodies standing behind, speaking to each other, and another standing behind them all, just watching.

Suddenly ash began to rain down hard against the ground in the shape of lightning.

Nell's eyes widened as she backed away even further, making sure she was out of the range of the action.

A male figure reached out and grabbed one of the hooded ones, pulling him back and punching him a couple of times, knocking him out. He stood and went towards the field when the other rose behind him, a dagger in hand to deliver a killing blow, a lightning bolt shooting through him before he could reach the boy.

Another figure was trying to release those on the crosses but encountered the barrier.

Having already heard this part from the others, Nell's gaze went to the hooded leader.

His gaze was turned, raised.

Nell followed the man's gaze and her eyes widened at what she'd somehow managed to overlook in the middle of the chaos.

There was another figure further away from the others, small and feminine like the one on the cross.

This one had to be Chloe, since they'd said they'd left her with the distraction while the boys took a more physical approach to rescuing the others.

Nell took a step towards Chloe's ash-figure, shocked.

The blonde wasn't calling down lightning...she was the lightning rod. Her feet planted on the ground, and her hands raised up high helped her body act as a conductor for the electric energy. The lightning was shooting _out of her_.

Nell brought a hand to her mouth.

What-? How-?

The hooded man seemed like he could sense something in Chloe direction, but considering the cornstalks that had once been here Nell doubted he could actually see the girl. And also, every time he tried coming close in the girl's direction lightning would rain down in front of him like some sort of wall/shield.

In full view, the others were combining their powers, working against the visible barrier between them.

A hooded man went at Greg but was brought down by another lightning bolt. And while the accuracy of what should be a frenzied attack was fascinating, the Chloe ash-figure proved it all the more mindblowing because that head was tilted up and the girl seemed completely blind to all around her.

Nell watched as the leader of the hooded ones, the only one still alive, escaped into the woods.

Only then did the lightning stop, and Chloe dropped to her knees, obviously exhausted, her body jerking in what seemed like electric aftershocks as she forced herself to her feet. The ash-figure stumbled, falling to the ground a couple of times, each fall causing a little explosion against the ground, something which Nell was beginning to realize might have been what'd weakened it even further.

The ash-figure finally reached the others and nearly collapsed against the barrier, obviously about tocollapse, contributing barely any magic to the spell.

The male ash-figure to her right, Nell wasn't sure exactly who it was, reached out and placed his hand on hers.

At that second an explosion rocked the scene, causing all of the ash-figures to explode and fall back to the ground as the spell entered, the ash having told its tale.

Nell raised her chin, hugging herself tighter as she digested what she'd just seen.

And then there was what Lana had told her in confidence, about the wolf-creature that had attacked Chloe in her bedroom.

The brunette closed her eyes as a dark doubt began creeping into her soul.

It couldn't be…

…could it?

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"You kissed him." Pete blinked, sitting on the desk of the Torch during lunch break, eyeing his favorite female friend in shock. He honestly didn't know what to say about this. When he'd asked Chloe to tell him _everything_ about the guy who'd kidnapped her and her interactions with him during both attacks, trying to figure out why she'd been about to be taken somewhere else, he hadn't expected this at all.

"I didn't _mean_ to." Chloe mumbled, obviously self conscious about this as she kept her gaze on the article she was proof reading for tomorrow's edition of the Torch.

A while back Pete would have been hella jealous to hear this, and to be honest he still had a fair bit of annoyance in him at this news. He'd never liked or approved of anyone who'd ever been interested in Chloe or she'd been interested in, and he had to admit that sometimes he acted like a jealous older step brother , but it was just how things were between them and always had. Since joining the circle other priorities had taken over and Pete's crush on Chloe had died down to a tender friendship, but there was still that territorial possessiveness that filled him when it came to the blonde. He felt brotherly over-protective, a feeling he knew he shared with Clark, but at least it wasn't tinged with intense longing anymore.

"It just _happened_." Chloe continued to ramble, obviously nervous.

"Chlo, it's just the two of us here." He leaned over and placed a hand on her knee. "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm never going to judge you."

She looked up at him, eyes showing her worry as she sighed, finally turning to fully look at him. "I don't know _why_ I did it Pete…but…" she licked her lips. "I need you to keep a secret for me."

He nodded, sensing the importance of this moment. "Of course."

"When I did-when I _kissed_ him-something came out of me and went into him." Chloe cleared her throat, nerves growing.

Pete blinked. "Like what?"

She made a face at him. "It looked like pink mist."

He blinked, taking this all in before leaning back against his seat. "And after you kissed him he ran out, right?"

She nodded silently, playing with her hands.

"What if you did it again?" Pete ran his hand over his shortly cropped head. "What if, in the middle of a dangerous situation, you instinctively did wordless magic? Like when Nell tried choking you?"

Chloe blinked, leaning forwards. "I hadn't thought about that."

Pete nodded, starting to like this idea. "Yeah-that sounds like what happened. You're obviously very talented when it comes to the arts-I mean, you were the last to awaken but you're definitely picking up the pace and have gotten stronger the quickest-to Nell's chagrin." Pete leaned forwards. "What if that's the Hibbins gift? Instinctive magic?"

She eyed him thoughtfully. "Instinctive magic."

"It's a possibility." Quite proud of himself, Pete grinned. "It would mean another of our group has found their _thing_. Greg has the Sight, Lana's very much an earthy-power girl, and Whitney's a genius when it comes to herbs and their various uses." He sent Chloe a sideways glance. "You could be an instinctive caster…maybe in time you won't even need to remember spells."

"That would be…incredible." She whispered, though she still didn't seem too sure.

"Clark-I have _no_ idea what his could be. But me? I'm thinking I have an affinity with ice." Pete admitted, making a face. "My power manifested by freezing over Crater Lake when I awoke, and for some reason any sort of ice variations seem to be my go-to spells. It's nothing grand but I figure I should go with what I've got."

"Greg thinks you're one of the strongest of us." Chloe shocked him by admitting.

"Huh?" Pete blinked, knowing that Greg had said this once before to him, but shocked that the guy had actually said it to someone else as well. "He said this?"

"In a round about way, and it took me a couple of days to figure out who he was talking about, but it was definitely you." Chloe admitted. "And if _Greg Arkin_ pays you a compliment, you know it's not out of the kindness of his heart."

Pete was shocked, not sure what to say. During his conversation with Greg back then he'd really just thought Greg was only being exceptionally nice for some reason, most probably pity.

Chloe cleared her throat before reaching into her pocket and passing him a piece of paper. "This is the second one I've gotten."

Eyes narrowed, he reached out and unwrinkled the paper, reading it. "I know who you are?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I got the first one the day of the attack in here." She pursed her lips. "I forgot about it with everything that happened, but I got another one today."

That protective instinct within him when it came to her roared up once more, the boy closing his fist over the paper. "Someone's threatening you."

"I don't know." The blonde pulled a strand behind her ear. "I'm honestly not sure what it means. It doesn't say "what" you are. It says "who". The "what" I would get-_witch_." She sighed, greens confused. "But the "who"?"

Pete frowned, gaze lowering to his clenched fist. "Who else knows about this?"

"Only you." She admitted. "And I'd like it to stay that way please."

His gaze rose to her, knowing how much it meant to have her confide only in her. "I'm going to find out who this is, and I'm going to stop him from bothering you."

Chloe didn't answer for a couple of minutes, reaching up her hand and caressing the side of his face tenderly. "I missed you, Pete." Her eyes watered and her voice wavered as her greens found his dark orbs. "I missed you _so much_."

Humbled, Pete gulped as he reached out, the blonde meeting him halfway in a hug as they held each other tightly. "I missed you too."

"_Never stop being my friend again._" She whispered in his ear, holding on tightly.

Blinking away his emotions, Pete held on tighter.

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**TBC**


	16. Pop Quiz

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"Shouldn't we have had some sort of revision before we get tested?" Chloe wanted to know as she hugged herself, looking around the remains of Miller's Field, feeling it was in bad taste for Nell to have picked here of all places considering what'd happened. She also felt unsafe, knowing that in open spaces like this the wolf thing could still be around. And while the blonde was sure that she'd kept her further digging into what that thing could be a secret, she wasn't going to play it unsafe. Especially when she was more and more sure that it was either a human in wolf form, or a beast controlled by a witch and thus had intelligence on its side.

Not that Nell knew this per se. Chloe had asked the circle not to tell Nell anything, and considering that the woman hadn't commented on it Chloe was almost sure no one had tattled. A part of her knew that it was foolish not to tell Nell given the fact that John wasn't getting back to her, but Chloe just didn't trust the other woman. If one wanted to say she had a grudge for the near strangling she wouldn't deny it. There was just something about people who tried to kill her that made her distrust them, even when she was forced to work alongside them.

Didn't mean she was going to bind the goddamn circle though.

"It's not really a test if you're ready for it, is it?" Nell muttered up front, turning to face them, clasping her hands in front of her. "I brought you here because obviously someone else was testing you for some reason, and he or she got whatever it is that they wanted to know. You obviously passed their test. You're alive. That doesn't mean that they aren't going to come back again, and I want to gage how you six react to certain events." She eyed them. "People died, so at least I know that you are capable of doing whatever is needed to survive."

Chloe's gaze slid away, hugging herself tighter, clearing her throat, knowing that it was her out of control lightning that had done most of the killing. But to be honest what bothered her the most about the whole situation was how it really didn't affect her. She should be feeling scared, guilty, scarred. She should be having nightmares. She wasn't. A part of her felt cold, knowing that it had been her friends or those strangers, and she couldn't find any sort of guilt over their deaths or any part she had in it.

The blonde licked her lips, gaze going to Lana, who was paler and not as ridiculously perfect as usual. It was obvious that this had taken a lot out of the leader of the unofficial circle, that she wasn't sleeping, not taking half as much pride in her grooming as usual.

That is how Chloe should be.

She shouldn't be sleeping well knowing that whoever had ordered the attack wouldn't think twice before ordering another all-out attack like that…or that there was some sort of crazed wolf-thing that could climb up walls and open locked bedroom windows. And yet she slept peacefully every night.

"You will be tested one by one, and you will be wearing this." Nell pulled something out of her pocket, causing the teens to take steps backwards when they saw the glowing green pendant on the all-too familiar necklace.

"That-." Lana gasped.

"This is a special sort of meteor stone that fell many years ago, it's very rare...I found this here when I came to look over Miller's Field after hearing your story." Nell declared, clearing her throat, obviously uncomfortable. "Its properties are numerous, but it was discovered many years ago that it acts as a draining agent to witches. Depending on the method of contact, it can severely weaken, and in some times temporarily remove a natural born witch's powers. It was _this_ stone that allowed the Burning Times as the witches were left powerless and unable to defend themselves from the Witch-Hunters." Her gaze was grave on them. "You will all take turns wearing this daily from now on."

"What?" Greg snapped, clenching his scarred hands.

"The more you're around this, the more of a resistance you can start building-or at least learn how to work around its debilitating properties." Nell cleared her throat. "Had they managed to get one of these on all of you-the happenings of that night could have been very different."

Chloe hated to admit it, but the woman was right. "I'll take the first shift with it."

Nell's gaze was wide and shocked, as were the others.

Then again, Chloe had never been the most cooperative, had she?

Nell eyed her in intrigue before her lips curled and she nodded. "As soon as the tests are over you can start wearing it. A week. Then it goes to the next."

Chloe nodded silently.

"Lana." Nell turned her gaze on her niece, holding the necklace out. "You will be tested first."

Lana eyed the necklace wearily before reaching out and taking it from her aunt. She flinched the moment her hand closed over the green stone, her hand's veins seeming to bulge slightly and turn visibly greenish before all visible effects disappeared. "Here goes nothing." Taking in another breath Lana pulled the necklace over her head and clenched her fists against the feeling of powerlessness and fatigue she'd told Chloe it gave her.

"Go to the center over there." Nell ordered.

Nodding, Lana swayed a little bit yet managing to keep on her feet as she trudged through the ash to the place indicated.

Nell watched her with narrowed gaze.

Lana turned towards her aunt. "Now what-?"

Suddenly all around her exploded in power as a barrier rose above her, cocooning the brunette.

"Jesus." Whitney whispered.

Pete and Clark both took a step towards the cocoon of power.

Greg reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a cigarette and lighter, lighting it and breathing out a ball of smoke.

Chloe narrowed gaze went from Lana to Nell and back.

Lana looked around herself at the barrier, worry and determination in her hazels as she reached out to touch the barrier, crying as electricity visibly entered her system, driving her to her knees.

"That's too intense!" Pete took another step towards Lana. "We were only able to get through our own barrier together! As six! And we weren't wearing the necklaces anymore! You can't expect her to-."

"That barrier is strong enough for one person to destroy or escape, it's not even a tenth of the strength of the one you six came across." Nell interrupted, never looking away from her niece. "And I can expect her to not fail me because I know she's strong enough to do this. I have faith in her. She is your leader. Have faith in her abilities."

Pete frowned in worry before turning his dark gaze back on Lana.

Stumbling back to her feet, Lana staggered forwards and nearly hit the barrier again, only just stopping from touching it.

The young beauty licked her lips as she closed her eyes and held her hands out, mouth moving silently.

Nothing happened.

Giving a little whimper, Lana tried once again.

Again nothing.

Eyes flying open, Lana reached down and yanked off her shoes, digging her feet into the ash and ground.

Nell's lips curled in a smile, her voice soft and pleased. "Good girl."

Lana looked queasy, incredibly pale, and the necklace on her began to glow a little brighter, obviously fighting her. But her determination was incredible as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, grounding herself in the ear as her lips began to move silently once more in a spell.

And this time she wasn't rewarded with nothing.

At her feet the ash began to move as if on waves, and then vines began to emerge from the dead ground. They arched away from her, sliding against the barrier as would snakes against a container they were being held in.

Lana fell to her knees, horribly pale, the meteorite shining against her chest, her hands visibly shaking.

The vines pushed against the barrier, visibly expanding it as they continued to grow and take over the little dome she found herself in.

Sweat began to course down the side of her face, the teen seeming barely able to hold it anymore.

The vines appeared to realize it, the desperation she must have been feeling shooting into them like urgency as they slammed against the dome for her viciously.

Suddenly a writhing vine pierced through the barrier, and the barrier collapsed all around Lana, the vines shriveling up and dying immediately all around the brunette, who remained on her knees.

There was silence, and then Nell brought her hands together in a loud clap. "Well done."

Lana's eyes slowly opened, her breathing hard as she slipped the necklace off and let it fall to the ground. She lowered her head, visibly exhausted, most probably fighting fainting.

Pete and Clark moved at the same time, both boys hurrying towards Lana and grabbing her, helping the girl to her feet.

"No one can use the same technique, spell, to get out." Nell declared. "Each and every way out must be new. Creative. Surprise me."

"I'll go next." Greg flicked his cigarette away and crushed it beneath his feet.

Something vibrated in her pocket, and Chloe pulled out her phone, frowning at the unknown number. She moved away from the others as Greg went to where Lana had thrown away the necklace, before moving to his own little assigned area, the barrier coming on around him the second he stepped into it.

"Who is this?" She continued walking away from the group, hand against her ear.

"Chloe!" Nell called from behind her. "No telephone calls! You need to concentrate on what the others are doing!"

There was a moment's silence, then: "Repeat after me: Air make a barrier and take no sound to eager ears."

Recognizing John's voice, Chloe's eyes widened as she nodded. "Air make a barrier and take no sound to eager ears." All around her she could feel a shift in the wind, felt the magic around her, and smiled slowly at herself as she turned so that she could gaze at Nell out of the corner of her eyes but the angle didn't allow Nell to read her lips. "How did you get this number?"

"Witch." He reminded.

She laughed softly. "I didn't realize that made you an instant telephone directory."

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat. "I need you to do something for me."

Her eyes widened at this. "What do you need?"

"I need you to DHL me something as soon as possible, hopefully before the end of the week." He declared.

She blinked, surprised. "Uhm, okay?"

"The thing is that I need you to retrieve it for me from the person I have holding it." John declared. "He's in Edge City."

The girl bulked at that. "Edge City."

"Yes." John cleared his throat. "I know that it isn't the safest of places, but I really need this...thing...that he's holding for me. It's urgent that I get it as soon as possible. If it wasn't for the time frame I'd get it myself but I can't risk leaving here for a second. Not with things as critical as they are."

Worry filtered into her. "Is everything okay?"

"All I can say is that something I've been working towards my whole life is about to be accomplished, and if everything goes according to plan, I will be there soon and have the conversation we need to have face to face."

It was all sorts of cryptic, but she could sense the urgency in his voice. "What is it, where is it, and how do I prove to this guy that I'm from you? Because I'm figuring he won't just hand it to me just because I say I'm there on your orders."

"It's a package." He was ever the vague one. "Marx Anton is holding it for me, he's the owner of Crouch End."

"Crouch End as in the Stephen King short story?" Which, she totally knew it wasn't but couldn't help herself.

"Crouch End as in the nightclub." He replied.

"Okay, a good time to try my newest fake ID." She cleared her throat, trying to butch up for this.

An explosion had the girl turning around, eyes wide as Greg stumbled out of the barrier...which was now only a circle of burnt, smoking ground.

Nell was coughing, waving her hand in front of her. "Very creative."

"I get these _explosions_ of genius." He stumbled, still cocky in his weakness as he yanked the necklace off and threw it at Clark, who caught it, the veins in his hand pulsating green. "Don't feel too bad if you aren't able to live up to that, we all know I'm a tough act to follow."

Rolling his eyes, Clark watched Nell for directions to his area, and slipped on the necklace, visibly wincing as he did, the barrier coming up and encircling him.

Chloe, sensing Nell turn towards her, shifted her body back to its original position. "So what do I do to get this Marx Anton to give me this package?"

There was a hesitation.

"John?" Chloe felt dread rising.

"It's not so much what you do...as what you give."

Her stomach went queasy. "As in?"

"Blood." John responded. "You need to retrieve the package from its hidden place, and to do so you need to give a little blood. Only someone with my blood can get it."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Are you saying it's in some sort of magical safe that can only be opened by someone of your family?"

"In a nutshell? Yes." John cleared his throat. "There's a little more to the whole thing than just bloodletting, but yes."

"Okay." She nodded, clearing her throat. "I'm actually out with the Circle and Nell right now, so why don't I call you once I sneak back home and you can give me more specifics?"

There was a pause, and then a sigh. "Chloe, I would prefer it if you didn't get so close to the Smallville Circle or Nell Potter...especially Nell Potter."

Chloe worried her bottom lip, not sure how to respond to this without being disrespectful. "I've been friends with Clark and Pete my whole life, and they're a part of the circle. I'm not going to stop being friends with them...and the others aren't half bad either." She cleared her throat, feeling his dissatisfaction. "But I'm never going to be close to or trust Nell Potter, so I wouldn't worry about that."

"She's going to expect you to bind the circle." He reminded.

"And if it wasn't for the fact that I'll only be able to use magic with the others I would do it." She lied just out of rebellion and could hear his silence, his strong disapproval. "You lied to me. You said that if I did magic with the others that they'd grow addicted to my magic. They haven't."

"You've done group magic." He whispered.

"We were nearly killed the other night." She frowned, annoyed at this guy, who was basically a stranger, acting all...all...like a disappointed father. "We were kidnapped and attacked. There was no other choice!"

"Witch-Hunters-?" He began.

"No, Nell said they weren't Witch-Hunters. Someone else is in the game and is testing our unbound circle for some reason." Her eyes widened at the complete silence from his end. "You know who it was who did this!"

"I have an idea." He admitted. "But it is something that I need to speak to you about face to face." His voice was like a hiss. "There's less time than I thought there was. Chloe, I need that package if I'm going to keep you and the others safe."

She gulped, sensing his genuine worry and desire to protect her. "I'll get it for you."

"Thank you." He replied.

"Chloe, it's your turn." Nell's voice broke into her conversation. "Who are you talking to?"

Chloe turned towards the witch, who was eyeing her curiously. "It's my father." She gulped, saying the first thing that came to her mind. "He realized that I was out of the house, it's late at night, and he freaked out a little. I'm telling him that I'm fine and with you."

"Oh." Nell eyed her before nodding. "Do you need me to speak to him to confirm your whereabouts?"

"No. He heard your voice." Chloe shook her head. "I'll be there in a second."

"Okay." Nell nodded, probably being gracious because she thought Gabe was listening.

Turning her back on Nell, Chloe brought the phone to her ear. "I'll call you back in a couple of hours."

Turning off her cellular, Chloe slipped it into her pocket and turned for Whitney to place the necklace in her hands, proving that she'd missed Clark and his test...maybe Pete had gone as well, she wasn't sure. The blonde hissed as the moment her hands closed over the meteorite it made her blood boil in her veins, which throbbed and turned green.

"Since you were not paying attention..." Nell raised an eyebrow, hugging herself. "Greg managed to create a similar electric force as the barrier-and when the two energies collided they cancelled each other quite...explosively."

Greg grinned proudly at that, smoking once more.

"Clark quite creatively bombarded the earth around the barrier enough to destabilizing the crystals I used to anchor the barrier, and while it didn't fall it was weak enough for him to escape." Nell nodded proudly. "Likewise, Whitney used the earth to his advantage, pulling out a large boulder from under the earth and used it to break through-as stone isn't a conductor it went through the electricity and he escaped with minimal injury."

The cut against Whitney's cheek proved her words.

"And Pete." Nell's gaze was on the handsome young man. "He coated the barrier with ice and then shattered it."

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned towards Pete. "Wow."

He blushed, obviously uncomfortable with the obvious praise. "It wasn't anything."

Chloe doubted that, already feeling horribly weak as she slipped the necklace on and walked to where Nell directed was her testing area.

As the barrier came up around her, Chloe felt her mind blank, not knowing at all how to break out of this thing while feeling so terribly drained and without using the same techniques the others had already used. She felt herself entering into a panic but did her best to fight it, trying to ignore Nell watching her so shrewdly, the blonde gazing around her, trying to find some sort of weakness in the barrier she might be able to exploit, but everything seemed strong and in place.

Cursing softly, the teen licked her lips before following Lana's lead and kicking off her shoes.

Nell had praised the girl for this move earlier so obviously there was something to it.

Chloe cleared her throat and held her hands out to her sides, willing lightning once more, knowing it had worked the last time...but as she tried to use her magic the meteorite around her neck began to glow brighter, her veins feeling like it was transporting needles to her heart instead of blood, the blonde faltering with a cry as she clutched at her heart.

Clark and Pete stepped forwards once more, much as they had with Lana before.

Nell's eyes narrowed.

Chloe tried to issue her magic forth, but the stone around her neck just glowed brighter and the pain was harder and harder to push back, soon the sensation was all she could truly concentrate on. It was all she could do to keep from yanking that thing off and throwing it away, her pride refusing to give in that much even as her strength failed her and she collapsed to the ground.

"Chloe!" Lana called out in worry. "Chloe take it off!"

Curled in the fetus position on the ground, Chloe cried out in pain as it was getting hard to breathe, but no matter how hard she tried every second she tried to unleash her magic the needles-in-veins pain continued. How could the others have fought this so much? It was excruciating!

Unbeknownst to her, darkness had begun to rise from the ground around her, curling like smoke in a crystal ball, obstructing everyone's view of her.

She could feel the other side of her magic begging her to release it, to let it do its job, and then when it sensed her hesitance and fear it broke through her control and the next thing Chloe knew she was crying as the already unstable earth opened up underneath her and she was falling.

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When the darkness retreated, finally giving them visibility, the witches' eyes widened to find Chloe wasn't in the barrier anymore...and the barrier was still very much alive and up.

Nell's eyes widened, shocked out of belief.

"Where is she?" Greg coughed on his smoke, dark browns wide.

Nell couldn't answer, and she hated it.

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Groaning, Chloe pushed herself up off of the ground, surrounded by nothing but darkness. She had the vague recollection of the earth opening up and devouring her before closing back up, leaving her in this pitch black. Once again she should feel terrified, should feel trapped, but she felt nothing but relief.

The pain was gone.

Chloe's hand went to her neck and her eyes widened in the darkness to feel nothing but the chain around her neck...the meteorite apparently gone.

How-?

Sitting up Chloe could feel that other side of her magic retreating deep within once more, allowing the other side of her magic free reign once more.

The blonde took in a deep breath and held out her hand. "Give me light."

A ball of light appeared in her palm, illuminating the...underground cave.

Gulping, Chloe slowly rose to her feet, shadows and light playing off of the walls, green eyes narrowing as she realized that there were drawings on the cave walls. She drew closer, seeing native american-like cave drawings everywhere, and yet they weren't the normal sort that one would expect. There were drawings of a group of six youth standing around a fire and holding hands...a circle. There were other symbols and drawings depicted on the walls, records of some sort.

A symbol drew her attention, the blonde heading towards it and reaching up on her tiptoes to reach it, her fingertips brushing against the symbol. She couldn't understand why she felt so drawn to it, why she felt as if she was supposed to be here...

...shaking her head, knowing that the others were probably worried about her, Chloe turned to her ball of light and brought it to her mouth as she whispered to it, not even sure where she was getting this spell from. "Will O' The Wisp, guide my path."

The ball of light hovering over her palm suddenly shot up into the air, circling above-head a second before floating ahead.

Chloe stood, staring at it for a second, shocked.

"Instinctive magic." She whispered to herself, mulling over it as she began to follow.

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Nell had lowered the barrier, proving that it wasn't an illusion, the girl truly had disappeared. Her shoes remained though.

"Where is she?" Clark whispered, standing exactly where Chloe should be. "Where _is_ she?"

Nell bit back a sharp retort, frustration and confusion growing inside of her.

The green meteorite had hurt Chloe more than the others...and that along with this new happening...Nell gulped as she searched around her.

What if this girl didn't actually belong to Gabe Sullivan?

Nell fought the beginnings of hysteria.

What if this girl had dark magic in her?

What if she was a Blackwell? A _Balcoin_?

Nell ran her hands over her head in mounting confusion and queasiness.

She'd known that John had been friendly with the women of the circle, that he'd flirted both with her, Geneva, Martha and Moira (and the girlfriends of the men of the circle), but when Moira had become pregnant Gabe Sullivan had stepped in as the father and Moira had married him with the blessing of her parents given the fact that she'd been so young at the time. John wouldn't have allowed that if he'd known that Moira could be having his child, right? All he'd ever talked about was bringing his family back from the brink of extinction, he being the last of Francis Balcoin's lineage…if he'd known that he'd fathered a child…a _daughter_...

Nell gulped, gaze going back to where the barrier had stood.

The meteorite affected natural born witches badly...but they affected those with dark magic even worse...but depending on the power in the dark witch supposedly...

"Chloe?" Lana gasped.

Nell turned rapidly, eyes wide to see the blonde walking towards them, hugging herself against the cold of the night, obviously tired yet not as tired as one would have expected.

"What happened?" Whitney asked, jogging up towards the girl, eyes wide.

"Seriously." Greg lit another cigarette now that he knew she was fine. "What the heck was that?"

"I'm not too sure." Chloe made a face. "I passed out and woke up over there in the forest."

"How?" Clark asked the question of the hour.

Nell turned her gaze on Pete, realizing he was the only one asking questions, if anything he was eyeing Chloe thoughtfully, questioningly.

The blonde looked up at him, nodded nearly undecipherable and then turned a weak smile on Lana.

Nell's eyes narrowed fractionally.

Pete Ross knew something he wasn't sharing with the rest of the class, and yet she doubted that he knew everything.

She doubted he knew that one of his friends was most probably a witch with powerful dark magic coursing through her veins.

"What happened to the meteorite rock?" Lana wanted to know in shock, reaching up to touch the empty chain.

Chloe gulped, giving a feeble smile. "I think all the fight we gave it overloaded it because it just-uh-exploded."

"Oh wow." Clark whispered, eyes wide.

Nell's eyes zeroed on Chloe, suspicion confirmed.

There was only one blood so strong that it could destroy the meteorite.

The older witch raised her chin as she eyed the blonde in a new light.

John Blackwell had a daughter.

Nell's lips twitched before curling in satisfaction.

There was no way she was letting that girl bind herself to any other circle now.

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**TBC**


	17. Two Kisses, A Snake & A Riot

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

This quick update is for **royuki**, who bribed me with cookies, bear hugs, and hot hunk feeding me stuff :) lol

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Considering her father had had a last minute emergency Chloe figured that there was never going to be another night in the near future (never mind _week_) for her to slip out unnoticed, so the second she'd gotten back home she'd called John and got him to relay her the nitty gritty as she readied to make the hour and a half drive to Edge City. Apparently Crouch End was a place where witches and dabblers mingled freely, the nightclub being fashioned after the town of Stephen King's story in the way that it paid homage to the "weak spots" and other dimensions mentioned. No one could enter the nightclub unless they wore a mask, and it was a strict law that as long as one was in the club the mask had to stay on, no matter what. It delivered the perfect anonymity, and as long as the many odd rules and rituals were observed one was safe.

Despite this, the girl hesitated outside of what seemed like any old alleyway in the dark, famously dangerous Edge City. For the mask she'd had to resort to the costume the year she, Pete and Clark had gone as Catwoman, Bane and Scarecrow respectively (she'd convinced them to forget the whole Batman & Robin thing when the two of them couldn't convince the other to be Robin). She'd gone for a special touch, having ordered golden cat-eye contacts to complete the feline look, and a long, straight dark brown wig to make her look a bit more like the brunette Selina Kyle. John had insisted she keep her real hair color and eye color a secret, and so she was wearing those accessories along with a little black dress she'd never had to courage to go out in during the many parties she'd flaked out of at the last minute.

Taking in a deep breath, reminding herself that John swore this was a matter of life or death, Chloe strode into the dark alley, suddenly wishing that she'd asked Pete or Clark to come with her…but if she did that she'd have to explain things John didn't want her to.

Gulping, Chloe reached the shadowed and barely visible druidic symbol spray painted on the wall. She raised her hand, palm facing the symbol, before whispering the password John had given her. "Earth, water, wind, fire, in Crouch End we conspire."

The wall began to waver, like a mirage, before vanishing to reveal a dark hallway, the sound of music distant yet inviting.

Giving the light at the end of the alleyway one last forlorn look, Chloe stepped inside, the wall closing up behind her, leaving her in darkness and giving the girl no choice but to follow the flashing lights and blaring music coming from up ahead. She tried to portray a comfort and confidence she didn't feel, remembering John's warning about not making an easy target of herself.

Stepping out from the dark hallway, Chloe got her first view of Crouch End and had to admit that it wasn't exactly what she would have expected. Sure, it was dim and had flashing lights, blaring music, alcohol (or at least she thought that was alcohol) and dancing people…but it wasn't like a normal nightclub. The architecture reminded her of some sort of gothic castle, no band or DJ playing music, the sound just seeming to come out of thin air. People danced around, all wearing masks, many dressed up as ghouls or other creatures, some wearing normal clubbing clothes and yet always with the mask on.

Some had fake fangs…or at least she hoped they were fake.

"You're new around here." A voice declared behind her.

Chloe turned to see a towering six foot guy in a fairy costume, wondering how he could possibly know if she was new here considering that she was wearing a disguise and so was everyone else. "I'm here to see Marx."

"Marx doesn't just see any cute girl who stumbles into Crouch End." The fairy declared.

"I'm here to make a withdrawal." She replied, remembering the wording John had dictated earlier.

The fairy eyed her before nodding. "Stay here. Mingle. This might take a while."

And with that he left.

Eyeing him until he disappeared in the crowd, Chloe worried her bottom lip as she looked around her, wondering exactly what to do. Huge fairy dude had told her to mingle, and Chloe wasn't exactly sure how to do so. John had warned her that things were different in Crouch End, and that there were different rules and other things that he hadn't really bothered to really fill her in on, so she was terrified of breaking one of them and getting in trouble.

A group of guys laughed loudly, enjoying themselves.

Glitter fell down on two dancers who'd had their backs to the other, the two turning and reaching for the other in a passionate kiss.

Chloe eyed them before making her face and noticing that in the darker corner there were some seats. She made her way into the dance floor, hands up as she navigated carefully through the crowd dancing to the hypnotic beat. It took her a couple of minutes of careful navigation before she stumbled out of the dance floor and into the seating area.

It was only then that she realized that most of the seats were taken up by couples making out hardcore.

The only seat left was by a hooded and masked guy slumped in his seat, staring at his drink.

Looking around her, hesitating, Chloe cleared her throat before she moved towards him. "Is this seat taken?"

He didn't look up from his drink, shaking his head.

Awkward, the girl sat down and immediately looked in the opposite direction, able to _feel_ the depression emanating from this man next to her. He was suffering, and she wondered if it was because of the amount of witches in here that she was able to pick it up so acutely, like the accumulation of magic made everyone more sensitive. A curious part wanted to ask what had him so down, but another part reminded her that now was _not_ the time to be nosy.

"What do you think happens after someone dies?" The guy asked, his voice hardly distinguishable over the sound of the revelry going on around them.

Chloe jerked her head towards him, almost sure he was talking to someone else, but when those eyes turned on her she realized that indeed she was being directed. "I really haven't given it much thought."

He made a derisive little sound. "None of us do until the Grim Reaper comes to fuck everything."

Okay, so someone he loved had just died, that explained the depression rolling off of him in waves. "I'm sorry for your loss."

He shrugged, tilting his head back as he drank the rest of his drink. "It was her fault. She was always so damned foolhardy and headstrong." He shook his head, staring at his empty glass. "It was her recklessness that killed her, just as much as that drunk driver."

"You loved her." Chloe could tell, somehow sensing that this was a lover he'd lost and not a family member or friend.

"I don't know what love is." He chuckled darkly, leaning hard against the seat, only then betraying the fact that he was actually drunk despite how composed he was. "I thought maybe she could teach me."

Chloe's heart went out to this stranger, the blonde reaching out her hand and resting it on his knee. "I think you know what love is…you wouldn't be this heartbroken if you didn't."

His head tilted towards her, his gaze meeting hers. "I don't tell strangers my sob stories."

"I don't console strangers either." She shrugged, giving him a little brave smile. "Let's just consider this a one time deal for the both of us."

He gave a hoarse little laugh, bringing his free hand to palm his face over his mask before letting out a little sigh. "Would you like a drink?"

"No thanks, I've got a long drive ahead of me."

"So you're from out of town." He tilted his head sideways. "Where from?"

Chloe bulked, wondering exactly what to say, when suddenly glitter rained down from the ceiling onto her and the guy. "What the-?"

His lips pulled in a grim line. "_Damn it_."

"What-?" And suddenly Chloe had the strongest urge to _kiss_ him.

"_Damned charms_." He hissed, visibly displeased as he threw away the glass and reached for her, pulling the girl onto his lap.

Chloe barely had time to gasp in shock when his lips found hers and his hand cupped the back of her head, keeping her in place as his mouth moved against hers. That hunger, that need, that _desire_ was still there but was less urgent as she reached out and cupped his face, kissing him back. Somewhere at the back of her mind she realized that this glitter was what was making them kiss like this, but the only other guy she'd ever been this close to was Whitney and she was _damned_ if she would ever have to admit that. A part of her felt guilty, knowing that this nameless, faceless man was being forced to kiss her against his will while mourning the death of his girlfriend, but another part of her didn't care. She pulled closer, deepening the kiss as his hand free hand curved around her hip, keeping her tight against him.

He might have been only kissing her due to the magical influence of whatever was in that glitter, but Chloe could feel his reluctant pleasure against her, the blonde blushing hard yet keeping her eyes closed as she lost herself into the feeling.

Suddenly, just as unexpectedly as it began, the magic ended.

Mind and hormones returned to her, Chloe cried out against his lips as she threw herself off of the guy, backing away on shaky feet. "The _hell-?!"_

He was frozen, eyes wide in shock, hands to his lips. "_Who are you_?" He stood, swaying slightly in his drunken state and yet urgent as he grabbed her arm. "_What is your name_?"

"Marx will see you now."

Never had Chloe been so happy to see a giant fairy before, the girl yanking her arm out of the grip of this stranger before hurrying behind the fairy, who led her to the back room, the blonde sending one last look over her shoulder before entering within.

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Dressed in civvies, Gabe waited in the darkness of Farmer Jenkins' land, and yet despite having been here for hours there was no sign of the damned wolf.

He gazed at his watch, willing to stay there all night if he had to, but wondering if maybe he'd picked the wrong place to go hunting.

Maybe he needed to think bigger, put himself in that wolf's paws and figure out exactly where the den was.

Determined, Gabe pushed to his feet and grabbed his bag with one hand, and his shotgun with the other.

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Unable to watch Lex drink himself into a stupor, Jason had left his leader's side and gone to the other side of the room, keeping an eye on the six members of the Edge City circle. They were very loud and the boys especially were obnoxious, leaving Jason annoyed and hoping to _god_ that he hadn't been that annoying when he was their age. Still it was something to do, and considering that Lex had only told _him_ of this theory, well…even if it was just a wild goose chase so that Lex could drown his sorrows or push them to the back of his mind…Jason was willing.

"She's here." Lex reached his side, swaying slightly, obviously having had too much to drink.

"Who?" Jason tore his gaze from the circle to eye his leader worried, hoping he hadn't started seeing Patty in his drunken stupor.

"The Firstborn." Lex whispered, gaze around him.

Jason's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"We had that damned pixie shit sprinkled all over us…we kissed." He frowned. "It was _her_."

Jason turned to the girls. "Which one was it?"

"She's not from this circle." Lex swayed once more. "I think she's from the Smallville one."

"Smallville circle?" Jason made a face. "What's she doing here?"

"She's here to see Marx." Lex nearly tripped on himself.

Jason caught him, wanting to believe Lex but the guy was obviously _hammered_. "What did she look like?"

Lex closed his eyes tightly before clearing his throat and shaking his head, as if trying to straighten his muddled thoughts. "Long, straight dark hair and gold cat eyes."

Had they been in any place other than Crouch End that description would have had Jason's eyebrow raised. "Okay. You go back to where you saw her and I'll look around here."

Lex nodded, stumbling back through the throng.

Jason sighed as he watched Lex go, running his hand through his hair, hoping his circle's leader wasn't losing it.

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"So _this_ is who Marx hears claims to have a withdrawal to make." A voice asked from the darkest corner, smoke being blown out towards her. "Thing is Marx doesn't recognize you, and Marx never forgets a face."

As the door closed behind her, Chloe cleared her throat as she tried not to bolt back in fear. "John Blackwell sent me."

There was silence, and then a dwarf emerged from the shadows, smoking a huge cigar, his eyes shrewd as they rested on her. "Marx don't know that name."

"Then you're not Marx and I want to speak to _Marx_." She bluffed her confidence, chin raised.

The man eyed her with a sneer, breathing out smoke in her direction as he began to circle her. "If this John Blackwell existed, he wouldn't send a _kid_ to retrieve anything in the vault."

"Well, he _did_." She replied stubbornly, not backing down. "He'd come for it himself but he can't so he sent me."

"Now I _know_ you're bullshitting me." He blew out more smoke on her, causing her to cough and wave her hand over her nose. "Because if this John Blackwell existed he'd know that the only way to retrieve this package that doesn't exist is to-."

"Use his blood." She finished, seeing the tiny yet highly intimidating man take a step back. "That's no problem. It's why he sent me."

Marx's eyes widened. "_It can't be_."

Unsure under that gaze she faltered for a second, before raising her chin once more. "So can I please go to the vault?"

Those dark eyes eyed her before the man flicked the remains of his cigar onto the ground by her feet, the cigar exploding in smoke which circled around her almost menacingly, and then the world around her gave a jolt and Chloe felt herself being lowered through the floor. Above she could see Marx staring down as her as the floor descended until opening up to a small room with three walls and an altar in the middle. She looked up once more before stepping off of the platform and into the room, clearing her throat as she made her way to the altar.

As a door closed behind her, rising up from the ground, Chloe forced herself to continue forwards remembering John's instructions. It was easy enough. Get into the vault, spill a little blood, and she'd be given the package. It was a piece of cake really. Anyone could _bleed_.

Reaching the altar, Chloe hesitated, realizing there wasn't a knife anywhere to be seen, or any sharp object either.

It was just a golden altar, raising up from the ground in the middle of the room. A golden snake statute adorned the altar.

Licking her lips, Chloe looked around her once more before returning her gaze to the snake. John hadn't told her anything about this. He'd just said that she'd need to spill blood-but with _what_? And why hadn't he mentioned this statue? She _really_ should have asked for more detailed explanations!

Shaking her head, Chloe hesitated a second before feeling around the rim of the altar's pedestal, but there was nothing.

It had to the the snake.

It _had_ to be.

Nodding herself on, Chloe's hands slipped up to trail the body of the snake, trying to find some sort of button or lever or something. Its body was smooth and cool to the touch, its ruby eyes sparkling whenever the light caught it, but she didn't pay any attention, concentrating on the search. The blonde was sure that the head had to be a lever of some sort, and she concentrated on finding a way to either open it or turn it, putting all her strength into it as she tried turning the head.

Her hand slipped, a cry escaping her lips as her thumb dragged across the serpent's fangs, drawing blood, which coated the fangs and dripped deep within its mouth and down the sides.

Chloe brought her thumb to her mouth as the snake's ruby eyes began to _glow _before suddenly its body shook. A ripping sound could be heard as wings tore out from its skin, the golden creature coming alive as it hissed at the blonde, its wings moving and raising it off of the altar into the air so that it was face to face with the terrified teenager. She felt as if she was being tested, and while her instincts told her to run the blonde stood her ground, staring into those glowing red eyes. The snake's wings kept it hovering at eye level, its forked tongue wriggling at her, before it lowered its head and vanished.

Not having expected this, Chloe looked around her, desperate to find the creature but it was gone.

Twirling back around towards the altar, Chloe's greens widened in shock to see a package resting on it.

The blonde hesitated for a second before striding forwards and picked it up, holding the package to her as the door opened up behind her once more, the lift waiting.

She didn't over think it, hurrying to the platform and stepping onto it in time for it to begin its upwards climb toward Marx' office. Adrenalin ran deep inside of her veins, and Chloe fought a little hysterical giggle lodged in her throat as she followed John's instructions and hid the package in the inner pocket of her jacket before she returned to Marx's office, finding the dwarf smoking another cigar and standing in front of the platform, face impassive.

"You're alive." He muttered, blowing another wall of smoke at her. "What did you see?"

"What do you mean what did I see?" Chloe made a face, stepping off of the platform and onto the floor.

"What did you see?" He repeated.

"Other than the flying snake?" She slowly made her way towards the door.

"Flying snake..." Marx stopped, eyes widened. "_Winged_ snake?" He took a step towards her. "You saw a _winged_ snake?"

The blonde reached for the doorknob, remembering John's warning to get out _immediately_ after having received the package. "Have a good night Mr Marx." And with that she shouldered the door out and raced into the throng, his voice yelling after her.

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The music was deafeningly loud, the lights dim and the strobe lights nearly blinding, and yet Jason forced himself to try and block all of that out as he searched the crowd for a girl who fit the description Lex had given him. There were tons of girls with long, straight dark hair, but none of them had the golden cat eyes Lex was positive she was using as a part of her disguise. A part of Jason truly believed that Lex had imagined the whole thing, that he'd had a little too much to drink, but the other part of him reminded himself that there was a reason why His Baldness was the leader of what had once been their circle, and that a couple of drinks probably wouldn't be enough to have him seeing Balcoins where there weren't any.

It was why he pressed on, keeping his gaze alert.

If this girl had gone to see Marx she could very well be hooked on Devil's Spirit, Marx being on the top suppliers for the drug around these parts.

Jason was weary at the thought of actually meeting a Balcoin…but one hooked on _Devil's Spirit? _Damn. That was intimidating.

Suddenly sensing something, Jason turned around in time for a girl with long straight brown hair to trip and fall into him, the witch reacting on instinct as his arms went around her, steadying the girl.

She looked up at him with wide, eyes, those golden cat-eyes contact lenses unable to hide the fact that she was afraid.

A shock, an electric jolt of _something_ raced down his spine the moment their eyes met, and Jason found himself gulping. His hazels scanned her face, tracing the catwoman mask, taking in the golden cat contacts, and then going down to her lips. He cleared his throat, returning his gaze to her eyes and scolding himself with an order to get a hold of himself.

This was her.

This was the girl that Lex thought was a Balcoin…and not just any Balcoin but the _Firstborn_.

The girl gazed behind her, hearing someone yell. "_No_."

Jason looked up, seeing Marx's goon searching over the place for someone, obviously her.

It just made things…

"Follow my lead." He whispered, yanking her into the mob in the dance floor, working them into the middle of the throng, turning his back to the goon and using his bigger built to hide the petite woman. "Not smart to make enemies of Marx."

"I didn't _do_ anything." Her voice and words were a little hard to make out with the deafening music as they pretended to dance in an effort to blend in more.

Jason knew he should take this girl to Lex immediately, but considering that Marx seemed after her as well he needed to shake the goon off of their trail first.

A part of him wondered what she looked like behind that mask and those contacts…but he quickly told that part of himself where he could stick any personal interest in this girl.

A gasp escaped her as she looked behind him, and before Jason could stop her the girl reached up and cupped his jaw, bringing him down to her as she stepped up on her tiptoes and brought their lips together.

Jason's eyes widened both at the shock and the jolt of magic that slithered from her into him much like a snake might, his every nerve seeming to explode, his mind going incredibly, wonderfully blank, opening up his receptors to senses, tastes, _feelings_ he'd never experienced before.

It was almost as if, for the first time, he was truly getting a taste of magic.

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It hit him like a punch in the gut, causing Davis to cry out in shocked pain as his hand went to his stomach and he doubled over under the shower's spray.

Lex nor Jason were answering and the others were starting panic. The Witch-Hunters were in Chance Harbor, had kidnapped one of Cassie Blake's circle, and the head Witch-Hunter was possessed by so goddamn powerful demons. On top of that, this whole happening seemed to have spurred things with the circle here, and everyone were readying for something. Oliver and Tess had refused to stay put as they should have, the two deciding to stake out the shack in the middle of nowhere that the circle here used as a meeting place and safe haven, ordering Davis to continue trying both Lex and Jason and tell them that whatever Balcoin had planned was going down, and _soon_.

He'd tried every number he could think of, but neither of the men were answering, Davis quickly growing more and more anxious with every passing minute. It was why the witch had decided to take a bath to cool himself down before trying again, but now this sensation had hit him from nowhere and he couldn't explain it-had never felt anything like this before and didn't know what the hell it meant.

Another wave hit him and he leaned down harder.

"_The hell is happening?_"

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This was similar to the magically-induced kiss she'd shared with the other guy here, the drunk and sad one, but it wasn't anything like it at the same time. For the first part she actually had control this time, and she was the one who kissed _him_. Also? Her mind wasn't asking "_what the fuck_?" every two seconds, mixed in with the "_this feels good_". Nope. Mostly it was just thinking "_this feels __**really**__ good_"…whenever it thought at all.

For just a second Chloe forgot that she'd only kissed this masked man to help hide her face, the blonde's hands trailing up from where they were cupping his face to curl around his neck as she opened her mouth to his kiss. His hands wrapped around her nearly painfully as he took control of the kiss, leaning into her and forcing her to arch into him. It was really his grip on her that kept her on her feet as her mind went numb and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Fun's over, Romeo." A familiar voice declared as the man was yanked from her, the huge fairy standing there.

Her dance partner moved faster than lightning. The punch seemed completely unexpected, whether because it was physical and not magical, or because someone had to be insane to pick a fight with a seven foot fairy she wasn't sure, but its affect was to send the fairy falling into the crowd of dancers.

Chloe's eyes widened as she staggered back, but it wasn't the decked out fairy that had her gasping.

No.

What had her gasping was the tail-end of a trail of pink mist that slithered into her savior's mouth, much like it had the man who'd attacked her in the Torch.

Instinctive magic…

…addictive magic…

Pete's and John's words came back to haunt her and the girl's eyes widened as she took one step back, and then the other.

She'd felt betrayed, believing that John's warnings had been lies…and yet what about this?

The young witch had kissed her kidnapper and now this guy-both times the one she'd kissed had had this trail of mist entering them from her, and _both_ men acted violently afterwards.

"_Run_." The guy hissed softly to her as he cracked his knuckles before turning to fully face the fairy, who was pulling himself up to his feet, snarling. "I'll take care of this one."

Chloe took another step backwards.

"_Go_!" Her savior snapped, his fists beginning to glow a dark purple with sparks of almost electricity.

Had there been pink mist involved with the drunk guy she'd kissed early? She couldn't remember straight, the magic that'd forced them into the kiss leaving her memory hazy as the blonde turned and began urgently pushing her way out of the club. At this moment the girl was in fight or flight mode, and had chosen flight. She was completely confused and bewildered, going on instinct, and that instinct told her to run.

With her back turned to the crowds, she wasn't exactly sure _what_ had started the all-out war that suddenly erupted behind her, but she didn't care, grateful for the distraction as she raced out of the room into the long hallway before stumbling out of the hidden club by rapidly crying out the password. "With this shitty little rhyme, I leave Crouch End far behind." the wall opening out for her to trip out into the alleyway.

Somehow managing to stay on her feet, Chloe took off running towards where her car was parked, the package heavy in her jacket's inner pocket.

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John wasn't exactly sure _what_ that was, but given the fact that Chloe had sent him a text message not that long later telling him she had the package, was on her way home, and needed an address where to DHL him the package…well…it must have been just a backlash of Chloe meeting her avatar. He was interested in finding out what it was, as it'd tell him a lot about his Firstborn.

But for right now he was busy preparing and would get into contact with her later, after what he'd been working towards for over twenty years finally came to pass.

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"How sure can you be that it's the Firstborn?" Davis wanted to know, hair still a little damp from his bath, wearing jeans and shoes, the call having come through before he could reach for a t-shirt.

"We both got a taste of her." Lex surprised the hell out of him by announcing. "I knew it right away, she was a Balcoin. My magic reacted to hers-though I have to admit it was a lot less of a reaction than Jason's."

"What do you mean you got a _taste_ of her?" Davis frowned, pacing by his bed, wishing that Tess and Oliver were here to hear this. "And even if she's a Balcoin-how could you be sure she's the Firstborn and not Cassie Blake? He _is_ here with her right now." His eyes widened as he realized something. "What do you _mean_ it was less of a reaction than Jason's? What did that idiot _do_?"

"I don't have _time_ for all these questions." Lex grumbled, crankier than usual, words somewhat slurred and breathing the fact that he wasn't all too sober. "All I can say is that this girl, _whoever_ she is, is the Firstborn. I wouldn't have been so sure from _my_ reaction-but _Jason'_s confirmed everything to me."

Davis sat down, the implications there. "He was enthralled."

"Damned fool started a _riot_ in Crouch End, nearly _killed_ Marx's favorite bouncer." Lex was obviously far from happy about this. "I was barely able to tear him off of him and get us our of there before Marx's people truly stepped in."

"So he kissed her." Davis stared ahead of him. "Around what time was this?"

There was a pause. "You felt it."

Davis' gaze darted to the clock. "I felt _something_."

"That confirms it." Lex declared. "We let the _Firstborn_ slip right through our fingers! Damn it!" Something broke on his end in his fury. "_How_ could I have let someone as _dangerous_ as that girl escape?" His words were hissed. "I've had to lock up Jason until her enthrall on him ended…which it still hasn't. With a mere _kiss_ she had him doing her bidding." Something else broke. "Do you _see_ now why we've been training despite the supposed lack of reason? _Why_ things were done the way they were all those years ago? _Why_ it's important that we are on top of this? Someone with the sort of powers, with the _abilities_ of a Firstborn Daughter of the Balcoin lineage-she can't be left to her own devices. Much less under _his_ thumb. We'd have another Thrall War on our hands."

"Why isn't John Blackwell with her personally? Guarding her?" Davis wanted to know. "Why avoid her and instead plan whatever he's planning with his daughter from Chance Harbor?"

"I don't know, and that's something _you_ have to figure out." He then hung up.

Davis looked at his phone before bringing his hand to his stomach, where he'd felt that…sensation…before.

The Balcoin Firstborn was a _girl_…she was _awakened_…and his magic had _sensed_ her…had sensed her connecting to _Jason_.

He let out a little breath, highly unnerved.

The door flew open, causing him to jump as Oliver and Tess stormed into the room.

"Whatever they're planning-it's going down _tomorrow_." Tess declared, kicking the door closed behind her.

"We need to call his Royal Baldness and let him know." Oliver agreed. "He's going to want to know this."

Tess narrowed her eyes as she stepped forwards. "Davis? What is it?"

He looked up at them, still trying to digest everything himself, before turning to Oliver. "A while ago did you, uh, sense anything?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "If the answer _isn't_ "hunger" then _no_, I didn't."

Davis nodded numbly, gaze lowering. "You're never going to believe this…"

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**TBC**


	18. A Night of Revelations

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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That cave dominated her dreams, the symbols and drawings flashing before her eyes, leaving the restless dreamer tossing and turning in her bed. By the side of said bed, inside of her bedside table was the mysterious package she'd gone through all that trouble to get. The blonde turned away from it, having fought her desire to open it and see what it was that John had had her risk herself for but something stopped her and she'd slept with her back towards the bedside table, sleeping her restless sleep.

It was odd because a part of her _knew_ that she was dreaming, sleeping, but that didn't keep the blonde from also being in that cave, the ball of light shining above her, illuminating the walls and the drawings within.

"We're sharing dreams again." A voice asked from behind her.

Chloe turned, surprised to see the girl from before, from the dream with the burning house. "This time, it's _my_ dream."

The other girl nodded, clearing her throat as she stepped forwards. "So where exactly are we?"

"In a cave under Miller's Bend, no one else knows it's here and I don't know why I never told them about it." She admitted, eyeing the symbol in front of her. "I should have told them…but for some reason I want to keep it secret."

The other girls stared around her. "It's…homey."

Chloe chuckled, sending her a sideways glance.

The girl cleared her throat once more, returning her green stare on Chloe. "If we're going to make this a habit, we should probably know each other's names." She reached out her hand. "I'm Cassie Blake."

Chloe eyed that hand before reaching out and placing hers in hers. "Chloe Sullivan."

As their hands classed around the other, both blondes cried out as their breaths were taken away as if they'd been punched in the gut. Images flashed before Chloe's eyes, images far too quick for her to truly decipher, but many of them spanned decades into the past, a sign continuously weaving itself over and over in between each flash.

Finally pulling her hand away from Cassie's, Chloe staggered backwards into the wall, trying to catch her breath and keep on her feet. She then turned towards the symbol on the wall, running her hand over it in near awe. This was the symbol. This was the symbol that'd kept popping up!

"Balcoin." Cassie whispered behind her.

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned to face the other girl, shocked and confused. "What did you say?"

Cassie looked up at the symbol. "That's the Balcoin symbol."

"What's a Balcoin?" Chloe whispered, unable to believe that this girl knew what'd been haunting the recesses of her mind for far too long now.

Cassie's green eyes turned to her, narrowed. "Who _are_ you?"

"I already told you who I am." Chloe squared her shoulders. "Now _tell_ me what a Balcoin is!"

"Why do you want to know?" Cassie challenged.

"What do you care?" Chloe snapped at her. "I'm sick and tired of people telling me that it's a serious matter, that I can't tell anyone that word, and that I'll have everything explained later!"

Cassie eyed her with a confused frown. "It's not a word."

"Then what _is_ it?" Chloe begged.

Cassie shook her head. "It's a _name_." Her eyes narrowed, chin raising. "It's a _family_."

"A family?" Chloe whispered. "Whose family?"

Suddenly a gasp escaped from Cassie's lips as her eyes widened and she issued five all-too familiar words. "_I know who you are_."

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Gabe Sullivan was hunting the wolf.

Seated up on the ledge, Nell watched this surprising turn of events, wondering if she should intervene or not.

No matter _who_ that wolf was, if it was attacking Chloe-the last Balcoin-then Nell wasn't going to let it live either.

With her own Circle bound at the time she couldn't have asked John Blackwell to join with them and tie his powerful dark magic to them, but now it was different. Now Chloe was there, Chloe was awake, and Chloe was getting closer and closer to binding with the Circle. It was only a matter of time.

But first she needed some questions answered first, and that was why, with a snap of her fingers, the witch sent the man on a wild goose-chase.

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Clark couldn't explain why he felt so incredibly angsty, as if he was unable to fully be comfortable in his own skin. Ever since that attack from whoever those people had been he'd had a horrible feeling in his gut that something else, something bigger, was going on and that somehow they were all going to be swept away by a new tide. A new power. A new player.

These thoughts left him tired yet awake, a headache building in his temples that painkillers weren't stopping from growing. In the end his room, house, had been too stuffy, too claustrophobic, and Clark had escaped out of his bedroom window. He'd resisted going for the truck, not wanting awaken and worry his parents, instead reaching for the bicycle he'd horribly neglected since getting his driver's license. The wind against his hair was refreshing, and despite the fact that there were people and things out there that were on the hunt Clark wasn't scared. He let his feet direct him, not really concentrating on where he was going, his mind going back to that night on the cross with that horribly draining necklace on.

He thanked all holy that their combined issues had exploded the one Nell had managed to reclaim, because the thought of wearing it for a week straight terrified him. Never before had he felt so weak and drained and so close to just giving up and letting whatever was about to happen, happen without a fight.

Being on that cross had really put things into prospective, especially since for a while there he'd been sure they were about to die.

It'd made Clark reevaluate things, choices, decisions.

He'd thought about his life growing up, his friendship with Pete and Greg, and how they'd both let Greg pull away until they'd become nothing more than strangers to each other. And then Chloe had entered their lives, filling the gap left by Greg and once more they'd been the three musketeers (or the three stooges, as his dad liked to call them) until unforeseen circumstances had broken them up. Sure, Clark could understand the logic behind Nell's advice, and it had all worked out in the end, but Clark realized that he and Pete had nearly lost Chloe like they had Greg. Sure, Greg was on friendly terms with them now, but it was never going to be the same sort of friendship as they'd had before as children.

Then again, the friendship they had with Chloe now wasn't the same either.

They'd abandoned her without reason, and while she'd forgiven them something had obviously changed, the dynamics of their relationship had shifted. They weren't the Three Musketeers anymore…definitely couldn't be considered some other group of six because, well, they were still somewhat divided, weren't they? And the biggest division between everyone was the issue of binding the circle. Despite everything that had happened no one's views had changed from what they'd been before the attack. Clark, Pete and Lana were still pushing for the binding, for the protection it afforded them. Chloe, Whitney and Greg were still unprepared to make that sort of commitment, and while Clark wanted to try and push his point he knew they were lucky for Chloe and Whitney to be coming back in any sort of capacity to the Talon after Chloe's showdown with Nell. He knew not to push his luck. Not this soon.

It was only when he saw the light of a flashlight did Clark realize that he was near the Smallville Cemetery, and he didn't have to guess twice who would be amongst the dead at this time of night. He didn't even think about it, turning his handles and bicycling to the cemetery's entrance before dismount his bike and leaving it there. It wasn't particularly respectful to ride whilst _inside_, and Clark had learnt respect for the dead even _before_ he'd realized that he was a witch and that magic existed.

The young witched walked on, passing through the gravestones all around, heading towards that light, seeing the outline of a petite female kneeling down by two side-by-side tombstones.

He stepped on a twig.

Her gaze lifted and her hands lit up instinctively.

"It's just me!" He called out, remembering all too late that this was where Lana had been abducted from.

"_Clark_?" Lana asked, standing, surprise in her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I was riding passed on my bike and saw your light." He admitted, drawing closer, able to make out her features better. "You really shouldn't come out here alone anymore. Especially not at this time of the night."

"I know." She admitted, the lights in her clenched fists dying completely as her gaze returned to the tombstones, kneeling once more. "It's just that sometimes this is the only place I can just sit down and be at peace."

Coming from a loving family which consisted of both parents, Clark couldn't begin to appreciate Lana's situation.

"What do you think happens to us when we die?" Lana reached out to trace her fingers over her father's name. "Do we just pass into Summerland-or maybe just cease to exist at all?"

He gulped, never having thought about it before. "I don't know."

"Me neither." She sighed, fingers going to trace her mother's name. "But I'd like to think that they're still here, watching over me, proud."

"I'm sure they are." Clark gave her a little smile.

"I'd hope so." She whispered, shoulders sagging. "But I really haven't done anything to make them proud, have I?"

He sighed, lowering his head as he shucked his hands into his pants pockets. "This is about the fact that you got kidnapped, isn't it? That you had to be rescued?"

She flinched at the very reminder. "I know you think it's me being egotistical, but it's not that. I'm the _leader_ of this circle, even if it isn't bound, and every one in it should be able to rely on me. I have to be able to make the tough decisions, and I need to be _there_ for my circle. I need to give two hundred per cent. I _need_ to prove that I'm _worthy_ to be the leader…because let's face it…blood alone doesn't make me worthy of leadership." Her tired hazel gaze rose and turned to him, a sigh escaping her lips. "I need to prove to my Circle, to my Aunt, and to _myself_ that I'm worthy to call myself the Leader."

Clark sighed, staring down at the shadowed beauty. "If it means anything…I think you're doing just fine."

She gave him a little, tender smile. "Thank you."

He grinned, feeling warmed at knowing he'd helped her somewhat.

Lana then sighed, standing, raising her lantern with her. "We have to do something about Pete."

Clark blinked, surprised at the change in topic. "What do you mean?"

"We can't let his parents take him to Wichita." Lana replied, as if this should be obvious. "We need to convince them somehow to let Pete stay here. It would make no sense to bind the circle if he isn't one of the six."

Clark nodded slowly, hugging himself. "Thing is…they _really_ don't like this witch thing-I'm not even allowed to see him out of school anymore, and he and I have been inseparable since _kindergarten_."

"There has to be _something_ we can do to convince them." Lana pouted, shaking her head. "Mrs Ross used to be a part of the Old Circle, she _knows_ we're not Satanic. That can't _really_ be the reason why they're so against this."

"If it's not that, then _what_?" Clark frowned.

"I don't know." Lana looked up at him, expression determined. "But we're going to find out."

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"Who could have gotten such an upper hand on Jason Teague of all people?" Lionel wanted to know, able to feel the walls of the manor shaking from the magical upheaval going on in the Quarantine room the boy was currently being detained in.

"Considering it happened in Crouch End..." Lex leaned against the fireplace, a glass of whiskey in his hands, staring at the fire.

Lionel mightn't be father of the year, not by far, but he knew a play when it was being made. "What aren't you telling me Alexander? And don't lie."

There was a hesitation, and then Lex's gaze slid over to him. "Balcoin's alive."

Lionel's eyes widened as he stood. "_Impossible_!"

Reaching into his jacket's pocket, Lex walked towards him and dumped a package on his desk. "I had Davis send these to me earlier."

Lionel reached down and picked up the package, opening it and pulling out the pictures within…pictures that showed a very much alive John Balcoin-or _Blackwell_ as he'd changed it to before his _obviously_ exaggerated death-walking around with a petite blonde. He sat down, floored by this revelation. "That bastard…how could he have gotten away feigning his own death like that for this long?"

"I'm figuring that the Witch-Hunters let everyone believe they'd killed him because had the magical community realized that John Blackwell had managed to escape his assassination-."

"-they'd lose fear in the Witch-Hunters." Lionel nodded. "When was this picture taken?"

"Today." Lex paused before finishing his drink. "Also, the girl in the picture is his daughter."

Lionel's eyes widened. "He has a _daughter_?"

"He has _two_, at least." Lex's words had his father's eyes widening _even further_ and raising to him.

The manor shook once more.

Suddenly-suddenly it all made sense, Lionel standing, gazing towards the Quarantine room Jason was in. "The Firstborn."

Lex nodded.

"Who is it?" Lionel wanted to know, nearly desperately.

"She escaped before I could…officially meet her…" Lex sneered. "But I am almost certain she's from the Smallville Circle."

Lionel sat back down. "How could you have let her escape you?"

Lex didn't answer for a moment. "I didn't tell you this for you to rebuke me. Had I not told you what I have you wouldn't even know Balcoin, _and his bloodline_, was still alive."

It was true, and it burned him to admit. "Then why did you share this with me?"

"Because I need a reason to be in Smallville that won't raise eyebrows, and only _you_ can give me that." Lex declared easily, finally beginning to prove that he _did_ have Luthor blood in him.

Lionel eyed his boy before a smile curled his lips.

Apparently there was some hope for him yet.

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"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure things out." The woman declared, a sneer on her face as she emerged from the cave, naked save for the wolf fur wrapped around her body to shield her from the cold of the night. "You lost your touch when you lost your circle."

Nell didn't raise to the bait. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's none of your business."

"The _hell_ it is!" Nell snapped, stepping forwards. "You attacked a girl who belongs to _my_ circle!"

"Don't you mean your _niece's_ circle?" The woman chuckled darkly, shaking her head. "You need to remember that your glory days are over, Nell. You didn't make your great dead ancestor proud with your time served as head either." She sneered. "Then again, Isobel _did_ get herself and two others in her circle killed."

"Duchess Gertrude _Cabret_ was to blame for their premature deaths!" Nell snarled, refusing to let Isobel's name be defamed this way. "For millennia the Cabrets have been at enmity with the Thoreaux, trying to usurp and claim _our_ title as one of the most powerful bloodlines! The Cabret and Teagues-."

"I've heard this story before." The woman interrupted, bored. "It's just as uninteresting now as it was then."

Nell just barely kept her growl at bay, clenching her fists to her sides. "Leave the girl alone, and leave this place, before I let her father kill you."

The woman's lips curled. "If that's the _worse_ you can threaten me with-death by Gabe-."

Nell sneered, raising her chin. "You like to pretend _I_ am the bitch, but _I_ am not the one who attacked _her own daughter_, and whose _husband_ is trying to _hunt her like an animal_."

Moira Sullivan flinched, anger filling her eyes. "Gabe doesn't realize that I was never going to _kill_ her."

"I figured that much." Nell admitted. "You were trying to activate her dark magic by putting her life in danger-you hadn't realized I'd already unintentionally done that."

Moira clenched her fists at her side. "So you know."

"That her father's really John?" Nell nodded. "Of course I do."

Moira was silent for a moment, obviously trying to figure out how to work this to her advantage.

"Does Gabe know?" Nell wondered.

"Of course he does." Moira gave a dark laugh. "Don't you think it was a little _coincidental_ how he and John arrived in town around the same time? Even if they weren't seen together they were _there _together." She shook her head, running fingers through her long, dark hair. "Gabe's family has _served_ Franics Balcoin's bloodline for as far back as they can remember. They're _faithful_ to them, loyal, would _happily_ give their lives for them." Her smile was ugly. "It was why he was the perfect guardian for John's child."

"The Balcoin lineage lives on." Nell gave a little laugh, shaking her head. "After everything done to end that bloodline completely, to vanish all traces of it, they missed an important link. His _daughter_."

"His _Firstborn_." Moira corrected.

Nell turned to her, the laugh melting away. "He's had more children?"

"I know of two in the Chance Harbor circle, two daughters." Moira declared, eyebrow raised. "Chloe's still the Firstborn though. She's the most important one, and _I_ gave him his Firstborn, the child he _so_ desired."

"If so then why did you leave her?" Nell wanted to know, folding her arms over her chest.

"I had…things…I needed to do." Moira declared, obviously not telling her everything. "There were things I couldn't do with a kid holding onto me. I also couldn't let anyone know she was a Balcoin, not before she was even awakened to her powers." Her eyebrow rose. "You haven't managed to get her to bind the circle."

"I will, it's coming." Nell assured her. "After that attack on them the kids are subconsciously not as hostile to the idea anymore."

"Right. It was impressive." Moira nodded.

"You saw the attack?" Nell asked in shock. "And you didn't help them?"

"I needed to see her in action." Moira replied, shrugging. "I needed to see what she was capable of doing."

"She could have _died_." Nell snapped, unable to believe this. "They _all_ could have died!"

"But they didn't." Moira folded her arms over her chest. "I guess that's thanks in part to your training. You should feel proud."

"Do you even _care_ about that girl?" Nell asked softly.

"Do _you_?" Moira shot back angrily. "Other than the fact she's now your precious little Balcoin addition, do you _really_ care about her?"

Nell shook her head, annoyed beyond belief. "What are you doing back, Moira?"

"Same reason I left." She replied. "I have things I have to do."

"So mutilating Farmer Jenkins' cattle is important enough for you to come back?" Nell sneered.

"The Jenkins have always had it in for our kind, I'm doing that for _fun_." Moira replied just as sneeringly. "There are more important things that I've keeping on the ball about." She chuckled darkly. "You really should have left Smallville, even for a little, it would have helped you realize that there is _much more_ going on than what you think is. And that the world _doesn't_ revolve around you and your family."

"What are you getting at?" Nell hated admitting, even for a second, that she mightn't know everything.

Moira smirked. "You're going to want to hold onto your granny panties Nellie, 'cause this is gonna blow them away."

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**TBC**


	19. Pillow Talk

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

**Wanna thank ****tenshinrtaiga**** for betaing!**

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Her eyes fluttered open, a disoriented mewl escaping her parting lips. The girl was unsure why she'd awoken, her mind thick like molasses with deep sleep. It took her a couple of seconds worth of blinking to realize that there was someone looming over her in the bed and before the blonde could scream, a hand reached down and slammed on her mouth, blocking the sound. The shadowed figure brought a finger to his mouth to motion for her silence. Terror filled her as she brought her hands to his, wanting to scratch them, to get them away from her mouth... And then she felt the grooves, the scars, and knew who this was.

Instantly the overwhelming terror melted away. The blonde left her hands on his and narrowed her gaze on the shadowed face, trying to convey with her eyes just how much of an asshole he was.

A chuckle escaped his lips as Greg Arkin pulled his hand from hers and basically jumped over her onto the bed, damn near breaking it as he laid down there, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Take your shoes off." Admittedly, even she was surprised that these were her first words given everything.

Greg rolled his eyes but kicked his boots off, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" The blonde asked as she turned to face him in bed. This probably should have been her first sentence, all things considered.

"I've been thinking." Greg pursed his lips, pausing for a second.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "If this is about you seducing Nell Potter with a bottle of rum or by some other devious means-."

He grin was mischievous, like a child who was up to no good and enjoying it. "No. These thoughts weren't about that." He finally turned on his side to face her. "These thoughts were about you."

Her eyes narrowed even further. "If you've brought any sort of alcoholic beverage with you..."

He gave her a scandalized, completely innocent expression-which she could see through quite easily. "These thoughts aren't about that either!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on telling me what 'these thoughts' are any day now or are you just enjoying being a creeper?"

"Hey, girls love a guy who climbs into their bedroom to watch them while they sleep," he declared. "Just ask the millions of Twihards out there. They'd stab you out of jealousy."

She had no idea what to say to that.

"Anyway, getting back to the reason why I pulled an Edward Cullen on you." Greg flashed her a grin. "Pete and I are planning a party."

She waited for the rest, and when he didn't offer it she prompted for more. "And..."

"And I want you to be my Alice Cullen."

Chloe eyed Greg curiously before her lips pulled back into a grin. "You've actually read the books, haven't you?"

"Sure." He nodded, not at all fazed at admitting it. "I read Harry Potter because it's my one true love, Hunger Games for all the violence, and Twilight because if millions of girls everywhere want Eddie and Jake then obviously those two are doing something right and I need to learn from them." He motioned towards her bookshelf. "I notice you have all three series yourself."

She felt more embarrassed than he did, apparently. "I don't like Bella...or the idea of sparkly vampires...but other than those two issues, I'm okay with the series." She shrugged. "And anyway, I have a thing for the Volturi. Alec and Jane especially."

"They are bad ass." Greg grinned before making a face. "And to be fair, half of Bella's problem was the fact that Edward wouldn't give her a good in and out sooner." Greg rolled his eyes. "If he'd just screwed her in that damned meadow instead of staring at her the whole time the series would have been very different."

She thought it over, and had to admit, he was kinda right. "So you want me to be your Alice," Chloe prompted, bringing the topic back around.

"Yep." Greg nodded, as if this was very obvious. "You've got the pixie-cut and mischievousness and you're deceptively powerful despite being so tiny so you definitely fit her description. Also, most of the other characters are already taken anyway."

Chloe's eyebrow rose in response. "I'm almost afraid to ask..."

"Clark is definitely Edward; all brooding and waiting for true love, with ridiculous reasons for what he does sometimes... The little brother who gets picked on and who everyone rolls their eyes at constantly." Greg said it as if that wasn't a compliment at all, chuckling. "Pete's Carlisle; quieter, more in the background and overlooked because of that, but in many ways he's one of the strongest of the group and he's always there when you need him."

Chloe smiled softly at the reluctant regard in Greg's voice as he spoke about the boys.

"Whitney's Emmett, the jock." Greg snorted, rolling his eyes. "Nell is definitely Rosalie."

Chloe burst out laughing at that one, easily able to see Nell as Rosalie, and that was just so horribly funny.

"Lana is Esme, trying to be a mother to teens who are not hers, but whom she feels she has some sort of duty to." Greg was proving himself to be ever so deep. "And me? I'm Jacob Black."

"For a moment I thought you were going to say you were Jasper." Chloe admitted.

"Nah, you still have to wait for your Jasper to come for you, Alice, and you'll have to tell him off for making you wait so long."

Eyeing him, Chloe didn't know why she somehow felt touched by that. "So what makes you Jacob Black?"

"Other than the whole animal magnetism and love for leather jackets?" Greg teased, eyebrow raised. "We both started out wanting a girl who would never be ours and, through this, found out something extraordinary about ourselves. We also went through a change in which we suddenly had... a group... we could call "family"."

Chloe was shocked by how open Greg was being with her right now. "I...I can see it now, actually." She cracked a little smile. "One can't deny the animal magnetism."

He smiled back at her, but it was far from cheeky. Surprisingly enough, it seemed grateful, but then he cleared his throat and the mischievousness was back. "So, Alice, I need you to help Carlisle and I make this party the best No Reason Party ever."

"Where are we having this No Reason Party, Jacob?" Chloe played along, feeling somewhat foolish yet enjoying herself nonetheless.

"I'm thinking the Talon," Greg replied, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a list, handing it to her. "We've got the basics down pat, but we need a woman's touch."

She sent him a sideways glance before whispering, "Air around me, grant me light." The ball of light from the caves reappeared to hover over them, casting light down on them like a disco ball.

Greg blinked, looking up at it. "I'm gonna have to remember that one."

"You do know that Lana would be better than me at this, right?" Chloe asked curiously. "I've never planned a party before."

"You lying harpy," he said with no heat whatsoever. "Pete and Clark said that you plan their birthdays every year with Mrs. Kent and Mrs. Ross."

"More like assisted," she mumbled. "Lana has actually planned parties... You know she's popular."

"Chloe, if Lana takes time off to breathe, she's treating herself, much less take the time to plan a party." Greg finally admitted, eyeing her. "It's one of the reasons we need this party."

Chloe went silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Let's admit it; these last couple of weeks have been vicious." Greg sat up, leaning against her headboard. "Clark's pulling double shifts learning all sorts of new things under Nell and his mother - and that did _not_ sound perverted in my head." Greg shook it, seemingly traumatized for a second before continuing on. "Pete's got his parents who are basically keeping him in Kansas' version of Guantanamo Bay. Lana's given up everything that gave her a life outside of the Circle and is pushing herself far too hard. And Whitney's not only studying herbalism on top of the magic we learn, but he's helping you with your wolf problem and he's getting his ass handed to him by his Coach."

Chloe's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"I snuck in and spied on the training sessions when he smelled extra crispy one day," Greg admitted, far from pleased despite the fact that he usually enjoyed making Whitney's life a living hell. "That Coach Arnold is going to take it too far one day and someone's going to get hurt... more hurt."

She eyed him, wondering exactly what he'd seen.

"So, that leaves you and me, the only two who don't seem like they're going to have nervous breakdowns with this whole situation," Greg declared, turning to face her. "Until the others can grow some balls, or at least not give a shit like we do, then we owe it to them to throw a party where they can forget about all their stress-at least for a couple of hours."

Chloe eyed Greg in surprise, unable to believe that under all that I-Don't-Give-A-Crap attitude he seriously did give a crap. He gave a lot of crap...and now she was rethinking her choice in words.

Anyway, shaking her head, Chloe eyed Greg before smirking. "I think you might have a bit of Carlisle in you too."

His mouth fell open, deeply insulted. "I do not! I'm Jacob. Through and through!"

The girl laughed, reaching out to slug him playfully.

He smirked. "So, get to work, Alice." He cracked an imaginary whip at her (complete with sound effects) before lying back down with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. "Wake me up when you've sorted through that mess and made it something usable."

Chloe raised an eyebrow at his audacity. "It's three in the morning."

"Perceptive." He grinned, keeping his eyes closed, pulling her blankets up over his body.

Chloe eyed him. "You don't actually expect to sleep in my bed, do you?"

He grabbed a pillow and stuffed it between them, keeping his eyes closed.

"Won't your mom worry if you're not home when she wakes up?" Chloe asked, clutching at straws.

He sneered, shaking his head. "She'd have to actually take the time to make sure I'm there instead of sneaking off as quickly and quietly as she can to make sure that she doesn't have to look at me."

And that was when Chloe realized what was truly going on here.

The others weren't the only ones who needed this party to help them forget about how life was at home.

"You better keep this pillow between us at all times," she said, giving in, if only because she could understand the feeling of being all alone and having no one else to turn to.

"Thanks for the warning." His lips twitched mischievously. "I'm humbled that you're so attracted to me that you have to warn me of it for my own safety and virtue."

"Shut up before I make you sleep on the floor, which I should, by the way," she grumbled, although the amusement was obvious to them both. She reached over to her bedside table and opened the drawer, both placing the package safely inside there and reaching for a pen. "Now go to sleep and be quiet. You'll only be a distraction otherwise."

"Seriously, Chloe, the magnitude of your attraction is astounding." Greg yawned, turning to half-cuddle the pillow between them.

She laughed, enjoying the fun banter and played along. "Don't be silly. We're family, remember? That makes you my brother."

"Correction: that makes me an incredibly hot brother you wanna have kinky fun times with," he assured her. "First Whitney, then me... You're incestuous."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe ignored him, beginning to read the ideas scribbled in Pete's chicken scrawl.

Soon after Greg started snoring loudly.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Incredibly hot my ass."

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They should be sleeping, getting ready for whatever was going to happen tomorrow, and yet, from the groans and grunts coming from the other room, Davis knew he wasn't the only one unable to sleep. There was too much tension, too much anxiety, and while Tess and Oliver turned to each other to relieve them, Davis had no one and was forced to do what he always did: draw.

His sketch pad lay on his lap, the young man browsing through the many drawings he'd nearly filled this one with.

Most of them were of his Circle, his only real family.

Pat and Lex adorned most pages, Davis having idolized what they'd had. They'd never really said the L word in front of the others, but it'd been more than obvious that they'd been in love with each other very much. Davis couldn't imagine what Lex was going through right now and he doubted any of them ever really would. Lex was reserved and would keep his suffering under check. He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't mourn; not in front of them. Never in front of them.

Oliver and Tess also adorned the pages, the two differing from loving and playful one minute to outright violent as they warred against each other. Their relationship was highly volatile, explosive, and often dangerous to Oliver's health considering that Tess was half Luthor and she'd gotten the evil half.

Jason also featured, although mostly the drawings showed him being a total spazz... which Jason declared was not a "true representation" of his character.

Davis never drew himself. He found the concept kinda creepy.

What he should probably find creepier was the picture closer to the end. The one done in simple brown charcoal of a girl with flippy hair and shining eyes, her lips curled slightly as she stared at him, computers all around her. No one knew about this drawing because Davis was almost certain Jason would call it a "Stalker Sketch" and he'd most probably change Davis' ringtone to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by the Beatles or something like that. Also, he knew that this wasn't the time to suddenly develop a crush, especially not on someone he'd probably never even know the name of.

It wasn't as if the Smallville Fertilizer Company had a high-tech website with pictures of their staff and IT support... And he couldn't just ask Mr. Luthor about that either.

And, well, this wasn't the time. They had a major situation on their hands and he couldn't let a little interest get in the way of things.

Clearing his throat, he turned the pages quickly until he came to a blank one, just staring at it as his grip on his pencil tightened. He looked around the room despite knowing he was alone, not even understanding while he felt the need to hide his actions as he brought the pencil to the paper and began to draw the Balcoin symbol across the blank page.

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Nell stumbled into her bed, not even checking to make sure Lana was in her bed tonight.

Moira's revelations were overwhelming and Nell's pride had taken quite the beating.

How could it be that she hadn't known all of these things when they'd happened right beneath her nose?

And now that she knew, what in the world was she going to do about it?

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The enthrallment was slowly coming off Jason, leaving the guy more subdued than usual.

Lex sighed as he leaned forwards in his chair, eyeing the blonde as he sipped on his drink. "How are you feeling?"

Jason kept his gaze on his cup. "Tired."

Lex eyed the guy, gaze narrowed slightly. "What was it like?"

He'd never actually been in the presence of someone who'd been enthralled before, and the scientific part of his brain outweighed the emotional one.

"I want to say it was horrible, that I felt trapped and used," Jason admitted, finishing his drink as he leaned hard against the wall, sitting on the cot Indian Style. "But it was fucking fantastic."

Lex blinked in shock at that. "How so?"

"What did you feel when she... kissed you?" There was something odd about the way Jason said those last two words, but Lex shrugged it off as lingering effects of the enthrallment.

"Like fire," Lex admitted, finishing his own drink. "We'd always known that with our...connection...our magic would react in a certain way with the Firstborn. But I wasn't expecting that. It was as if fire was pumping through my veins instead of blood." He made a face. "It hurt a little."

Jason made a little sound in the back of his throat. "It didn't feel like that to me."

"Maybe it's because the situation behind the kiss was different." Lex, ever analytical, tried to make sense of it all. "We were both forced into the kiss and to be honest, she seemed more confused during the whole situation than an actual participant in it-even though she did participate thanks to the damn pixie dust."

"So you think it's because she kissed me willingly that our reactions were different," Jason muttered.

Lex eyed him. "Maybe. What exactly did it feel like, if not fire in your veins?"

"I really don't know how to explain it except it felt like I had synesthesia." Jason couldn't have said an odder thing to Lex. "It's like all my senses opened up in ways they never have before and I was in tune on a different vibrational scale. With just that kiss I could see her emotions, could taste her problems, could feel the answers of how to help her under the tips of my fingers as if I was reading Braille. While I was fighting off those goons, colors all around me were singing...opera. It was epic." He gave a little chuckle. "Nothing can give you a high like that Lex, not even Devil's Spirit."

As Lex eyed Jason he had to admit that he felt resentful that he hadn't experienced any of the above. It'd been a nice kiss but then there were flames in his veins and then it'd been over. There hadn't been any of these other experiences. As a man with a scientist's curiosity, Lex wanted to experience them, wanted to categorize them, understand them, and thus the enthrallment, better.

And to do that they needed to study the Firstborn before anything else could be done.

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"Cassie, I don't want to talk about this right now," Diana declared as they walked towards the lake, the dawn beginning to break across the earth. "Let's just do this ritual, save Faye, and hopefully ourselves as well."

"You don't understand. This isn't about us." Cassie reached out and grabbed the brunette's hand, understanding that Diana was taking the whole "You're a Balcoin" thing pretty badly, but she was annoyed at how Diana seemed to want to blame her for everything and make her out to be the bad person. "I need to tell you this before we assemble the skull and fight the Witch-Hunters and save Faye." She sighed, taking in a deep breath. "I need to tell you this before we reach where my-our-where _he_ is."

Diana flinched, very much about to jerk away from Cassie's touch, before finally glaring at Cassie with dark eyes. "What is it, Cassie? Faye's life is in danger – all of our lives are in danger – so what do you feel is so important that you want to put all that on pause to tell me?"

Cassie's annoyance grew but she pushed it aside. "I had another dream with that girl."

Despite herself there was obvious interest in her eyes. "Did you find out more information like I said you should?"

Cassie nodded, trying to steel herself. "I think know who she is...even though I'm beginning to suspect _she_ doesn't."

"What are you talking about?" Diana actually took a step towards her, eyes narrowed.

Cassie stared up into the taller girl's eyes. "I think she's a Balcoin."

"What?" Diana's eyes widened and she took a step back.

Cassie gulped. "I think she's our sister."

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**TBC**


	20. The Same

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

**SPOILERS for Secret Circle Series Finale. Don't say you haven't been warned.**

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"Trevor." Chloe blinked, looking up at one of Whitney's football buddies as he entered the Torch. The boy closed the door behind him, acting sketchy and obviously very uncomfortable with being there. "How can I help you?"

Trevor cleared his throat. He was clutching at his backpack as if it were his life, his gaze lowered. "Before I say anything you have to _swear on your life_ that my name stays out of this."

Whatever "this" was, it was obviously important. Chloe turned towards the blinds and closed them as she eyed him. "As far as I'm concerned you were never here." She went to the computer and started up iTunes, letting the music play soft enough for them not to have to strain to hear each other, but loud enough to run interference with anyone who might be trying to listen in. (She had clearly done this before.) "Lock the door behind you."

Doing so, Trevor hurried over towards where she stood by the windows, looking around the Torch curiously. "I've never been inside before."

Her lips twitched in amusement as she eyed him. "It's not much but it's home."

His gaze landed on the Wall of Weird, where she collected the articles written in the Smallville Ledger and even the Enquirer on the many odd things that happened in Smallville. Those articles had been what started her own journalistic curiosity towards the weird things that happened in her hometown, the blonde having uncovered many strange things and yet had never really understood the reason _why_ Smallville had such… things. Only now did the girl wonder if it was all tied to witchcraft somehow. Whitney had mentioned something about Dabblers, as had Nell, and Chloe wondered if the reason some of the people were _off_ wasn't because of natural mutation (as she'd previously suspected) but instead were the consequence of Dabbling gone wrong.

But this wasn't the time to get lost in her thoughts, not when Trevor was there and so nervous he seemed like he was in a police station about to rat out some mob boss and make himself a prime candidate for witness protection.

Chloe eyed him when it seemed that the other boy was hesitating. "What can I help you with, Trevor?"

Nodding, Trevor took in a deep breath. "It's about the Coach…"

Her eyes widened, realizing what Trevor was coming to her for and shocked by it. She'd thought there was some submissive, masochistic bond the players had towards the Coach, but to have one come to her for help-she was torn. She wanted to help him, absolutely, but Whitney…

"He's-he's not _normal_," Trevor continued, obviously uncomfortable yet pressing on. "He can-he can create _fire_."

Chloe nodded, watching him closely. "So he's pyrokinetic."

"Whatever." Trevor was getting fidgety. "Thing is, I'm getting scared of going to practice. And so are the other guys, no matter _what_ they say about it."

Chloe leaned against the wall. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know!" He ran his hand over his hair, nerves clearly getting the better of him. "Get it on tape, expose him like you have others; just make him _stop_ hurting us."

The blonde stared up at the fidgety jock and nodded, unable to say no even if Whitney got mad at her for it. "Okay. Just leave it all in my hands. Just – for your own good – don't come around here again. I'll get in contact with you. It's best no one knows you're my mole."

He nodded eagerly, backing away already. "Thank you."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Chloe leaning against the desk, wondering exactly how she was going to do this. There was no way she was going to drop this lead, but she worried that Whitney would think she'd taken advantage of what he'd told her in confidence. And yet, she couldn't betray Trevor either by revealing her source. This whole thing could end up either driving a wedge in her and Whitney's budding friendship or driving a wedge in his established friendship with Trevor. It was a tricky situation if there ever was one. And maybe, just maybe, she would have to go about this in an unorthodox manner.

The door opened and someone paused. "Are you trying to seduce me with the dim light and sex-me music?" Van raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm saying it now and here: You're cute, but I have a girlfriend."

The blonde rolled her eyes, turning off the music and opening the blinds once more. "Don't be ridiculous. You weren't even supposed to check in until _after_ lunch."

"_Ahhhh_." Van grinned, entering then closing the door. "Did I just walk into some sort of sexy rendezvous you had planned with Arkin?"

For a moment she had no idea what in the world he was talking about, but then she remembered the lie and groaned, bringing her hand to her face. This was going to cause her all sorts of grief, wouldn't it?

Van, thankfully, took her reaction for something else and hooted his laughter. "You go Chlo! Get your man!"

She glared at him through her fingers. "Shut up." Shaking her head, the blonde cleared her throat and finally yanked her hand from her face. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your early visit?"

"You know how I haven't ever asked you _why_ you're hanging out with Pete, Clark, and the others now, after those two completely ditched you for no good reason some months back?" Van's question had her on the alert, which he seemed to notice immediately. "And that's cool, okay? It's a part of your personal life that I don't care about." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "But I _really_ think you should rethink hanging out with Lang and Co."

Eyes narrowing, Chloe opened the envelope warily to find pictures. She looked up at Van in confusion before looking down once more and recognizing the area. It was close enough to Jenkins' Farm and yet was more in the… Oh my god. "Van!" Chloe looked up in horror after noticing a shot with something other than scenery. "I told you not to investigate that wolf anymore! Jesus! You could have been killed! And I wouldn't have even-!"

Van's hands came down on her shoulders. "Just keep looking."

Chloe frowned at him before lowering her gaze once more to the pictures, sifting through them until a human emerged from behind a tree; a human she recognized. "_Nell Potter_?"

"Keep looking," Van prompted.

Stomach clenching, Chloe continued going through the pictures as Nell and the wolf drew closer… And then the fur seemed to peel off of the animal's body as it twisted and turned to reveal a naked woman. This naked woman stood, picked up the discarded fur and placed it over her body as she and Nell spent the next several photographs talking until Nell left and the woman twisted and turned and became the wolf once more, leaving in the opposite direction.

By the time she'd returned to the first picture, Chloe was shaking.

"I know." Van tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Lang's psycho aunt is in league with that… werewolf." He was apparently sticking to that theory even though she'd assured him the lunar cycle didn't match. "You need to stay away from that group of yours. Obviously, you're in danger."

As the photos slipped through her fingers, Chloe reached out and grabbed onto Van.

Van was obviously shocked, his hands up in the air like he didn't know what to do with them, before awkwardly patting her back. "I mean, sure its shocking, but I didn't think it'd affect you this-."

"Van…" Chloe whispered into his chest, unable to keep her mouth shut or her body from shaking; both were uncontrollable. "That's my mother."

He tensed even more, if that were possible. "_What_?"

"The woman in the photo." Chloe held on tighter, clutching at him. "She's my mother."

"The – She – The one who abandoned you when you were a kid?" Van's voice cracked, his hold on her growing less awkward, his instincts kicking in. "Are you sure?"

She nodded wordlessly, a frog lodged in her throat, tears blinding her as she closed those greens tightly.

"She _attacked_ you," he hissed in confusion, holding tighter. "Jesus, that's fucked up!"

Her mother was back… was the wolf thing Chloe had been trying to investigate… and Nell _knew_.

"What are you going to do?" Van asked into her hair.

She didn't know; couldn't answer. So she just buried her face in his shirt and held on.

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They'd thrown the re-spelled, previously on fire, crystals into the lake and were now waiting, the blonde feeling the power just swirling around them. Cassie could sense her every nerve like it was almost on fire; an awareness unlike anything she ever experienced before sparked inside of her.

"It's coming," she whispered, feeling drawn like moth to a fire as she stepped towards the water.

"Cassie, what are you doing?" Diana unfolded her arms, eyeing her with concern.

"I can feel it." Cassie waded into the freezing water, ignoring the sting of the cold as she stared down below in awe.

In front of her, the water began bubbling viciously, almost as if it was boiling, and yet everything was still horribly cold. As she drew near, the bubbling intensified almost desperately, and then the skull – the crystal skull of power they were going to use to destroy the Witch-Hunters once and for all – surfaced, the water bubbling furiously all around it.

"Hurry!" John yelled from the sandy beach next to Diana. "Pick it up while it's still forming! Pick it up!"

The urgency in his voice urged her on. Cassie reached out and yanked the thing, which truly didn't look like a crystal skull. At the moment it seemed more like a gigantic crystal jellyfish. The _power_ within it jolted through her, giving her a sort of hellish high and leaving her breathless as it formed itself in her hands.

"Its power is amazing," Cassie couldn't keep herself from saying as she turned back and trudged through the water onto the shore, John's face urgent and Diana's wary. She collapsed on her knees in front of them, breathing heavily.

"Diana, now you." John reached for his dark haired daughter and motioned her in front of Cassie.

"It's okay." Cassie smiled up at the hesitant witch. "In fact, it's awesome."

Diana didn't answer, didn't even look at the other girl as she knelt opposite the thing. She took in a deep breath before reaching out and putting her hands on it, a gasp escaping her lips as brown eyes widened in shock, obviously feeling the rush of power as well.

"Whatever happens," John was knelt a little distance from them, observing everything intensely, "do _not_ move your hands."

Finally the sisters' eyes met as the large thing began molding into a definitive shape, diminishing in size before becoming the skull they so desperately needed.

"It's done," he declared.

Diana let go of the skull immediately and stood while Cassie raised it in her hands, eyeing it in awe.

Their Circle had needed to be unbound for this to happen and she knew that the others must be freaking out because they thought only death could unbind it, but it didn't matter now. They had the crystal skull and Eben was going to be surprised when they didn't hand it over and instead killed him and every last Witch-Hunter with it.

Diana cleared her throat. "Let's go, the others are going to worry about us, and it's best not to keep Eben waiting, not when he has Faye and demons crawling under his flesh."

Cassie nodded, slowly standing, crystal skull in hand, still high off of the power coursing through her body.

It was her excuse for why she wasn't prepared for the spell that hit her hard, turning her knees into mush and darkening her lights.

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The news was the only thing that kept her sane. She'd asked Van not to tell anyone what he knew, and considering that Van was becoming one of the most decent guys she knew, he agreed. He did warn her again about hanging out with anyone associated with Nell Potter and Chloe's "crazy ass" mother though. Chloe had somehow gotten through the rest of the morning until lunch without being too much of a zoned out weirdo, but she'd gotten quite a bit of stares from other students and the teachers alike.

But now, with this news, she was able to push back her own troubling thoughts, at least until after school was over.

Lex Luthor had apparently pissed his father off _so much_ that he was being sent to "oversee" the Smallville Fertilizer Plant. The gossip was that the guy wanted to start getting the feel of the business so that one day, whenever he took over from his father, he could step into his shoes without that much of an adjustment period. He seemed to have most of the town bought with that one, if the comments could be believed, but Chloe knew a punishment when she saw one.

Their facility was in the boondocks, one of the only, and it was the only one that never got visits or checkups or anything. It was probably only her father's quarterly meetings with Mr. Luthor that made the man remember that this place even existed.

So no. Definitely no. This was a punishment.

"They're renovating the Luthor Manor. They said they'll be looking for workers up there soon," Bradley Mitchell whispered to Wilmer Gieger.

"I saw him pull up in his silver jaguar. Apparently he's thinking about helping donate to the school so that it can be renovated. Principle Kwan is giving him and the friend he came with a tour of the school right this instant," Tiffany Spain (not her real last name but _hell_ if anyone could remember what it actually was. Everyone just took to calling her that because she hadn't shut up about her trip to Spain during her first year of high school) gushed to Nellie Hemp. "They're both so _hot_."

"We should go audition for maids or something!" Nellie exclaimed, all eager.

"It's not a _play_." Tiffany rolled her eyes in amusement. "You don't _audition_."

Both girls melted into giggles.

Chloe might be on the trail of a sadistic, pyrokinetic football coach, her psycho wolf-shifting mother might be in town and Chloe _still _had to DHL whatever the _hell_ was so urgent for John…but Chloe added another thing onto her list anyway.

She was going to wait until Lex Luthor was shown the Torch and then she would not only convince him it needed renovating after the attack, but she'd also wrangle an interview with him for the newspaper if it was the last thing she did.

It would be great to have _one_ normal story to write about.

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They'd awoken in their Circle's sanctuary, trapped within an invisible yet electric barrier as John circled around the crystal skull where it rested on a table. At first the girls had tried to escape once they'd awoken, but the barrier had painfully repelled them and betrayed the fact that they were awake to their utterly psychotic father.

"Did you _ever_ plan on killing Eben?" Cassie asked, because it was no use being quiet, shaking her head at the expression on his face. "You didn't, did you? You just needed Eben to scare us into finding the crystals."

"The Witch-Hunters have always been the best to galvanize witches," he admitted, resting his hands on the table upon which stood the crystal.

"You did it before, sixteen years ago," Cassie whispered. "You led our parents to the same very boat to fight the Witch-Hunters. You left them to _die_."

"Why manipulate them into having children and then send them to be killed?" Diana wanted to know.

And then it hit Cassie, hard. "So we'd become orphans? A circle of broken, vulnerable, easy to control witches who were desperate for a leader to help us battle our enemies." Disgust rolled in her stomach. "But my mother figured it out. She tried to get the others not to go. She and Ethan tried to kill you."

"Yeah." He sighed wistfully. "That was disappointing." He pushed away from the table, coming towards them. "But it gave me a good opportunity to disappear and wait for you to be ready, which you are." He then turned back towards the crystal skull, muttering words in Latin Cassie didn't know. His spell began to create shadows within the crystal which bled out and slowly corrupted it, turning it from crystal white to completely black.

That could _not_ be good.

Below the table, the symbol of Balcoin burned into the floor.

"If you're not using the skull to kill Witch-Hunters, what is it for?" Cassie tried to stall him, to bring his attention back to her and to _finally _get some answers.

He straightened up from where he was bent over observing the skull. "To kill witches." He raised his hand, to where the Balcoin symbol was burnt into his palm. "Every single one without Balcoin blood."

Diana stepped forwards at that, horrified.

Cassie was stunned, unable to believe what she was hearing.

He turned to look towards the crystal, a smile tugging on his lips. "It's already begun."

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At first it was a twinge, a ripple of unease that gradually intensified into a fire within. Nell had shaken it off as nothing, smiling at Mr. Peterson as he picked up his usual Tuesday rose for his very lucky wife. She was running a very profitable business and there was no way that a little bit of a fever was going to affect her. No way in hell.

It was probably just something brought on by stress.

But then Mr. Peterson left and as Nell tried to breathe in more, she gripped onto the side of the counter and cried as she bent over in agony, that heat blossoming into an inferno and consuming her from within.

Crying out, she tried to move, but ended up on the floor, screaming.

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"Lana!"

The brunette paused, taking a deep breath and listened as the girl hurried to catch up, her footsteps echoing behind. Lana felt horrible for the way that she was avoiding Tina, but Aunt Nell had been explicit in her orders and after the attack Lana was all too understanding of the reason behind it. Still, it made her feel like such a _terrible_ person to just ignore the girl like this.

"_Lana_." Tina gasped as she reached her side.

Sighing, Lana turned towards her friend and gave her a little smile. "Hey, Tina."

"Have you been avoiding me?" Tina, as ever, got straight to the point, eyes narrowed. "Have I done something to offend you? To make you not want to be my friend anymore?"

"_No_." And Lana felt like the lowest of the low, reaching out and placing her hand on Tina's. "I'm so sorry you feel that way, Tina, but I have things going on now and because of them I've had to take a step back from everything right now. You know I'm not lying because I've quit cheerleading and working at the Beanery too."

"I know," Tina mumbled, stepping closer. "But I've _also_ seen you hanging out with those guys and Chloe Sullivan." Her face was dark with emotion. "If you have time to hang out with them then why can't you find any time to spend with me?"

How to explain this without giving everything away? "I'm doing a special project and they're helping me with it."

Tina's eyes widened. "I could help too."

"No." Lana cleared her throat, seeing the way Tina's expressions fell. "Our project requires only six people, and Chlo makes the sixth."

"Chlo," Tina whispered, face a sneer. "Is _she_ your new best friend or something?"

"Tina." Lana sighed.

"Is it the fact that I dress like you?" Tina took a step back, hands clenched at her side. "Or the fact that I'm too clingy? Or do you just like her better? Is it because she's blonde and "plucky"?"

"That's not it." Lana took a step towards her. "This has nothing to do with me liking Chloe better than you."

"Then whys as _she_ invited to be a part of this group and not _me_?" Tina snarled at Lana.

"It wasn't _my_ choice who was a part of it," Lana tried to explain yet knew that she couldn't without telling Tina everything, and it hurt her.

"Then whose choice was it, huh?" Tina wanted to know. "Tell me _something_ Lana! Or-!" The girl's words were garbled in her throat as she grabbed it, beginning to cough, pale skin going visibly pink. "_Lana_?"

"Tina? What's-?" And then it hit Lana with a ferocity that nearly drove her to her knees. The brunette hit the lockers hard as a fire seemed to have taken over, her insides feeling as if they were filled with boiling water.

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They'd tried getting to the shack where the Chance Harbor Circle practiced their magics, and yet halfway there Davis, Oliver and Tess were knocked to the ground with the force of the magic that seemed to want to incinerate them from within.

Davis watched, writhing in agony, as Oliver and Tess reached out and held each other's hands, biting back their screams of pain.

At that moment he hated them and what they had even more than he ever had.

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"_How_ can you kill witches?" Cassie snapped, horrified.

"Because they're weak," John scoffed, as if this should be obvious. "And their weakness has kept us victims for two thousand years. The time has finally come for a cleansing." He came towards them, his conviction burning in his eyes. "Let's scorch the earth. Let's burn the weak blooded… and clear the way."

"For _what_?" Cassie asked softly, feeling as if now she'd finally get all the answers she'd ever wanted from her father.

"For the other Balcoin children," he declared, confirming her darkest suspicions. "Four more born in other towns, raised in other Circles and they're coming here to join you."

_Four_?

Cassie felt shocked stupid. She'd expected one more but four?

"Jake's grandfather was right," Diana whispered, shaking her head. "You want to form a Circle of Balcoin witches."

"A _perfect_ Circle; the _purest_ race." He didn't deny it, breathless, almost in _awe_ as he spoke to them. "Together you will be a weapon more powerful than _any_ crystal skull." He grew more subdued. "We'll be able to destroy the Witch-Hunters once and for all… or anything that stands in our way." His voice lowered to a whisper. "_We can change the world_." His gaze rested on them. "As a family."

"So, is Chloe family too?" Cassie asked, seduced by the thought of finally having some answers. "Is that why I see her? Because she's a Balcoin too?" She raised her chin at her father's expression. "Because if she is, she doesn't seem to realize it."

John eyed Cassie oddly before smiling. "She's your sister… but to keep her safe she had to be led to believe otherwise."

Diana took in a ragged breath.

"Did you raise _any_ of your kids?" Cassie wanted to know spitefully.

He chuckled, not answering her question. "I think you will like her. She's got a spirit like yours."

Cassie honestly didn't know what to say about any of this.

The skull on the table behind him moved and John turned immediately, seeing Adam crawling into the room.

"NO!" he yelled, flinging his hand and causing the teen to fly violently into the wall.

"Adam!" Cassie and Diana yelled simultaneously.

Landing on the floor, Adam screamed, his skin visibly burning from the inside.

"The spell's _burning_ him!" Cassie turned to Diana, desperate. "It's burning _all_ of them."

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Chloe looked around her, eyes wide. Chaos was rampant as the sound of ambulances could be heard everywhere. She didn't know what was going on. Whatever it was, it wasn't affecting everyone, only a small percent, so it obviously wasn't airborne and yet she couldn't think of anything that could do this sort of damage.

All around her students were on the ground, screaming, holding their stomachs as their skin visibly _burned_; a fire seemed to be slowly consuming them from the inside out. The school had been on lockdown quarantine in case this was some sort of contaminant, but Chloe couldn't think of any sort of variable that linked those affected.

The infirmary was overly filled with the afflicted; the school nurse _clearly_ over her head considering that the most she did all day was read her magazine. Now she fluttered around, in a near panic, trying to keep everyone's boiling fevers down and yet no amount of cafeteria ice seemed to be working.

In fact, they were beginning to _steam_ as they evaporated off of the burning skin.

Lana and Whitney were in there as well and while Chloe wanted to stay with them she knew there was nothing she could do to help. Also, there were other symptoms that were appearing along with the burning agony. Some of the students were losing their sight, their hearing and their mobility. Whatever this was, it was crippling them… and Chloe didn't know where the rest of her friends were.

They might be fine, mightn't be affected, or they might have collapsed into the pool and could be drowning at this very instant.

It was why she took off running, terror fueling her adrenaline.

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Cassie tried to use her dark magic against the barrier and yet no matter how hard she pushed, it wasn't strong enough. Adam's screams as he withered on the ground not two feet away were proof at how little she was actually accomplishing. Ever since the night when she thought she was going to die and her dark magic had activated, she'd felt near unstoppable and yet this was a slap in her face and proof that she wasn't as invincible as she'd led herself to believe all this time.

"My dark magic is not strong enough!" And it killed her to admit it.

John used his own magic to slam Adam up into the ceiling, as if the boy was burning to death too slowly for his tastes and he wanted to give a little hand in speeding things up.

"What do we do?" Diana asked behind her.

And then it hit her.

"I need your power," Cassie whispered, turning around to face her sister, the one whose dark magic was still untapped and sealed deep within her. A part of the blonde knew that Diana was never going to truly forgive her for this, but another part didn't care, merely watching as Diana suddenly grabbed her own throat and began choking, Cassie's dark magic weaving about her and sucking all the air out from around the girl.

Diana collapsed to her knees, coughing, gasping for air. "Cassie…What – what are you _doing_?!"

Cassie just stared into her sister's dark eyes, forcing the dark magic to curl around her stronger, blocking out any air that might be slipping to her, voice calm as she answered, "I'm killing you."

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Everywhere, people were dragging others towards the infirmary. Chloe tried to be alert to everyone's faces, trying to find the rest of her friends, not just Circle members. She spied Van moving through the throng, someone on his back. It seemed like a guy but she couldn't be sure who exactly it was.

One of the doors to the teachers' lounge opened and Principle Kwan and Mr. Hanson appeared, dragging a handsome bald guy between them, the guy screaming, withering in their grip, his skin burning up just like the students.

This must be Lex Luthor. His suit was Armani and there was no one else she could think of who'd wear something like that in a high school.

"You!" Principle Kwan looked up at her. "Go and stay with the other! We'll come back for him!" And with that they were gone.

Chloe stood there, torn. She wanted to continue on looking for her friends, but Principle Kwan had given her an order.

Suddenly Pete appeared around the corner, half holding Clark, his eyes widening in relief when he saw her. "Chloe!"

She hurried towards Pete and a screaming Clark. "Have you seen Greg?"

"Van's taking him to the infirmary." Pete nodded. "Whitney and Lana-?"

"Are there already," Chloe whispered.

"What the hell is going on?" Pete hissed in utter confusion and helplessness.

"I don't know." Chloe's gaze went to Clark when he screamed. "Just take him, I have to-"

Pete nodded, adjusting his hold on Clark before beginning to take him towards the infirmary.

Clearing her throat, relieved to know at least how her friends were, Chloe pushed into the teachers' lounge and followed the sounds of the grunts and cries of agony coming from the floor.

For a second the blonde was shocked at just how _good looking_ this guy was, but the sound of his cries of pain shook her out of her daze and she looked around before hurrying into the teachers' kitchen area. She wet a towel and flung open the fridge, pulling out some iced cubes and wrapping the towel around it before hurrying back to the guy.

"It's going to be okay," she promised him, not sure he could hear her considering that some of the patients had lost their hearing.

"Burn-" he managed to get out before screaming in agony, his green eyes clouded over as they turned blindly on her.

Whimpering, Chloe knelt down over him, hesitating only a second before bringing the wet towel and ice to his face. "It's going to be okay. You'll be fine."

He reached out and clasped her arm painfully.

Hissing in pain, Chloe just changed the hand she held the towel with, whispering over and over again that he'd be okay as she slid the bag over his burning flesh.

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As she stared up at Cassie's eyes, Diana couldn't see a friend, much less a sister. She couldn't understand why Cassie was doing this, couldn't fool herself into thinking this was a rouse to get John to come into the barrier so they could escape. No. For whatever reason, Cassie was truly trying to kill her and if Diana didn't do something about it, she would die.

That thing inside of her, the thing that connected her to John and his darkness, the thing she'd suppressed all this time – it begged her to let it take over, if only for one minute.

And Diana was weak. She wanted to live.

The brunette let go of her hold on that dark power and it erupted from her like a scream, the force sending both her and Cassie flying in opposite directions, through the barrier and against the walls.

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"I'm so sorry," she whispered, seeing the way his body was blackening from the burning, each scream and cry almost hurting her. She didn't know why she felt guilty, only that she did. "_I'm so sorry_."

Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks before falling through the air and hitting his face, the sound they gave as they made contact was almost a _hiss_… as suddenly the black began to seep away from the tears.

Chloe watched in awe. As each of her tears continued to rain down on his face, they began chasing away the charred darkness, revealing clear flesh beneath.

His screams and writhing were lessening as well.

It was then that Chloe realized this was a spell.

A _spell_.

And somehow – somehow –.

Wiping at her eyes, Chloe collected her tears on her thumb before bringing it to his parched lips, which moved against her thumb, his tongue lapping at her tears… his lips less chapped immediately.

Just as she was about to smile she realized the healed parts of him were blackening once more, his groans growing more painful, and she realized that whatever she'd done wasn't permanent. As soon as her tears dried it was gone and this man was dying in her arms again.

John's words about her being stronger, being able to do things no one could understand or even imagine, Pete's comments on instinctive magic; they rushed through her mind and Chloe just believed in both of those men's comments. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, knowing that her instincts were to save, hoping her magic was as strong as John swore it was as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

The man went still under her, his grip on her arm growing even more painful, yet she pressed on, concentrating on the image of him healing, of the blackness going away along with the pain and the burning.

She could feel the heat within him, feel the agony, and yet she wasn't truly affected. It was as if she was aware yet unable to feel it herself. She could sense something inside of him, most probably the magic that was affecting him, and it felt familiar in a way that sickened her. This reminded her of when she'd been with John and yet the thought that he could be behind this made her nauseated to her core.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind, focusing on the thought of healing, on the image of this man getting better.

That hand loosened on her arm, before sliding up to cup her cheek as those lips slowly kissed back.

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Diana's dark magic had awoken.

That was all that was going through her mind as Cassie pushed herself to her feet and rushed to the table, grabbing the crystal skull before her father could and shoving it out towards him as she tried to channel its magic to kill him, to stop him forever.

"Together we're stronger than he is!" she yelled to Diana.

"What are you doing?" John turned towards her, one hand still aimed at Adam, who was dying on the floor.

"Reversing the spell." Cassie replied.

"Stop!" he yelled, outstretching the hand with the Balcoin symbol burnt on it towards her.

Cassie could feel his dark magic hit her and it was all she could do to stay on her feet and not slide backwards. If she hadn't been holding the corrupted crystal skull and channeling its amplifying powers, she knew that she wouldn't even be conscious right now, not at all a match for her father's incredible power.

"Think about this Cassie," he hissed. "Think about _our family_."

And that was when it hit them all. Cassie could _see_ Diana and John both gasping as the supercharging of Balcoin power once more brought an impression of the other Balcoin daughter. Chloe. Cassie could sense her presence in the back of her mind and while she couldn't see her, couldn't know what the other girl was doing, she _did_ know something through this bond.

Chloe did _not_ want this.

In fact, the reason why her presence was getting so strong was because… _she was fighting the spell_.

John's eyes widened. "_No_."

Cassie could feel a trickle of blood trail down from her nose as the power got too intense. She wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Suddenly Diana appeared behind her and clasped her hands over Cassie's onto the corrupted crystal skull, adding her dark magic into the mix. Suddenly Cassie's head didn't feel like it was going to explode anymore, a groan of pain escaping John's lips as suddenly he wasn't at an advantage anymore.

He fought them with every ounce he had, his skin beginning to burn like his victims and yet ten times faster, consuming him as he fell to his knees.

"Just stop fighting it," he groaned, on his knees trying to get closer, failing. "We share the same blood!"

Cassie could hardly hold on any longer and could feel Diana just as tired as they forced their powers through the crystal at their father.

"_The same_!" he yelled, before collapsing.

Cassie and Diana cried out, gasping for breath, staring down at John Blackwell.

He was a burnt husk.

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**TBC**


	21. Family

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

SPOILERS for Secret Circle Series Finale.

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It was gone.

As her lips moved against his, Chloe could feel the spell evaporating into nothingness, finally pulling her lips from his, the sound of their parting shocking in the silence as she stared down at his handsome face. Already the burning was disappearing, his skin returning to its healthy sheen, his eyes still glazed over and yet color slowly returning to them as well.

Confusion filled Chloe as she stared down at him, easing him off of her lap and back down on the ground, managing to escape his hold when he reached out for her.

"Who are you?" he asked, sitting up, narrowing his eyes on her, obviously trying to focus on her and yet unable to, the blindness still strong. "It's you, isn't it?"

Unnerve fueled her confusion as she backed away and quickly pushed out of the room, finding the others around her in various stages of recuperation.

"What the hell happened?" Principal Kwan didn't seem to see her as he and a teacher hurried back towards the lounge.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's stopped!" the teacher declared as they pushed into the teachers' lounge, having come back for the guy.

Bringing her hands to her mouth, Chloe slipped through the throng of students, all confused and dazed, whispering in confusion about what could have happened. People were getting phone calls from their family. Apparently this wasn't an isolated incident. People all over town had been affected by whatever this was and that made Chloe sick to her stomach because that meant that whoever had cast this was powerful and she had a feeling that she knew who it'd been. But why would John do this? It didn't make any sense. She refused to believe he was behind any of it. No. She needed to talk to him as soon as possible.

Pushing through the throng, Chloe finally made it to the infirmary, managing to stick her head inside in time to see her Circle coming towards her, completely subdued, pale and obviously shocked by what had happened to them. Relief filled her as Chloe pushed passed some students leaving and stopped once she reached them, eyes wide as she eyed them. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah." Lana nodded, voice croaking as she watched Tina storm out before returning her attention to her friends. "But what was that?"

"It felt like I was burning from the inside out," Whitney wheezed, rubbing his chest.

"Talk about heartburn," Greg agreed, wincing.

"What was that?" Clark wanted to know, leaning against the door. "And why weren't you and Pete affected?"

"I think it was a spell... but it didn't seem to target a specific group." Chloe hugged herself. "Maybe some witch tried a power too strong for him or her and it got out of control?"

"That's terrifying," Pete whispered. "Who here could have power like that?"

"I'm fine," a familiar voice declared behind her and it was all she could do to not turn around and watch as the man she'd kissed walked past her, flanked on either side by Principle Kwan and Mr. Watson, heading towards the bed Lex Luthor was seated on the edge of, a hand on his head.

"Well, they've been properly introduced to everything Smallville, huh?" Greg smart mouthed. "They'll be out of this town by this evening."

"No," Lex responded to whatever Principal Kwan said, standing. "Jason and I will continue the tour of the school."

"We'll be sending the kids home for the rest of the day until we can figure out exactly what happened here," Principal Kwan declared.

"I'll be too busy to come here again," Lex stated in a near threat.

Principal Kwan cleared his throat, looking around before his eyes rested on Chloe. "Miss Sullivan!" She straightened immediately, eyes widening. "Why don't you show Mr. Luthor and Mr. Teague around while we evacuate the school?"

It would peeve her that he was having her give a tour while everyone else evacuated if it wasn't for the fact that this was exactly what she wanted – a way to get Lex Luthor to herself and get an interview out of him.

"Okay." Chloe nodded, noticing the way Lex eyed Lana, specifically her long, dark brown hair. "I'm Chloe Sullivan," she introduced herself, a little annoyed when he only gave her a little look before returning his attention to Lana.

"Jason Teague." The other guy, the one she'd kissed, was eyeing her oddly, gaze going between her and Lana before returning to her as he held his hand out.

Reaching out, Chloe hesitated before placing her hand in his and shaking it, feeling a jolt spark between them (thankfully not visibly), pulling her hand away with a little gasp.

Jason's green gaze narrowed slightly at her in fascination.

Lex's hand reached out between them, breaking the connection. "Pardon my manners, I am Lex Luthor."

Chloe stared at the hand before reaching out carefully and putting hers in his, a little relieved when there wasn't any sort of reaction, giving him a little smile as she shook it. "Nice to meet you Mr. Luthor, my father works for yours. He's the manager of the Luthorcorp Facility."

Lex's eyes widened marginally, his attention now fixed on her. "Gabe. Yes. I met him this morning. He seems quite pleasant and thoroughly competent."

She was sure that was a compliment.

"Do you want us to stay with you, Chlo?" Clark asked, eyeing Lex and Jason very uneasily.

"Yeah, it won't be a problem for us." Pete frowned, joining Lana's side and placing an arm around her shoulders, narrowing his dark gaze on Lex.

"Don't be ridiculous." Whitney rolled his eyes as he shrugged on his Crows Jersey, reaching out his hand to Lex. "Whitney Fordman, I'll be the one showing you to the football field and the locker rooms." He shook both Lex and Jason's hands before turning to the others. "See you later."

Greg snorted in amusement before motioning his goodbye and leaving wordlessly.

Clark and Pete looked less sure about this, but with one last goodbye, walked Lana out, seeming better knowing that Chloe wouldn't be left alone with these strangers.

"So." Chloe turned to the men, giving them a little smile as they began to walk. "Follow after me, gentlemen, and try to ignore the fact that people are piling out of here quicker than passengers of the Titanic."

Whitney rolled his eyes, dropping behind them, almost as if he wanted to keep an eye on Lex and Jason.

"On your right you'll see Mr. Marsh's Chemistry lab, which was completely refurnished after the freak accident of '09, in which one Mr. Bradley Cooper – and no, he looks nothing like the actor – added some chemicals wrong and left the whole class not only purple, but they also lost all their body hair and Melissa Smith spent a whole week convinced that gnomes were following her everywhere trying to feed her rubies and emeralds but never diamonds because she wasn't worth diamonds."

Lex and Jason peered into the now immaculate room, amusement in their eyes.

"To your left you'll see the janitor's closet, where many a hormone-filled hookup has been caught by the janitor himself... Though why a small, crowded, damp and dirty smelling place like that would illicit smooches is beyond me." She turned up her nose, shaking her head and shivered at the thought of being trapped in that closet, the thought terrifying. "Talking about illicit smooches, in this room over here Mr. Hunt and Mrs. Roper were caught by yours truly in flagrante delicto. It was quite a shock because, up until that moment, I thought Mr. Hunt was having a thing with Mr. Marsh from Chemistry… which I found out later he _was_…but that's a different story and a different classroom." She doubted that Principal Kwan had this in mind when he'd told her to finish the tour, but the man had put his funding over her safety and so she truly didn't care. "In this classroom over here, if you take in a deep breath, you can still catch a whiff of the dung bomb that Mitch Matheson set off to let Mr. Gregory know exactly what he thought of that F in Biology."

There was the sound of a choked snort of laughter.

Egged on, Chloe motioned to the next door, pushing it open as her tell-all tour continued. "In this room, groundbreaking history was truly made in Smallville High." She nodded solemnly, clasping her hands in front of her, seeing the amusement on Whitney's face. The Quarterback obviously knew what she was talking about. "In here, my refined gentlemen, the first ever Smallville High porn video was shot."

Lex nearly tripped.

Jason's eyes widened. "No way."

"Yes way. All the way… if you get what I mean." She gave a deliberately ridiculous wink. "It's all on spankwire, just google "Jerry and Colby: The Detention". Made them overnight internet stars."

"Don't bother trying to find it, it got banned." Whitney echoed from the back of the group. "People found out they were underaged during the time of the filming and had the site take it down."

"That's a pity. They had such passion for their art," Chloe replied with as straight a face as she could, shaking her head as she led the men out of what was dubbed The Porn Room… and was the only room in the whole school that the teachers were banned from using during detention. "Over here, in this bright and cheery corner, Kyle Frank's pig gave birth."

Whitney snorted, seeing Lex and Jason's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "I think I have a picture of that on my phone."

"And now over here, gentlemen, you've stumbled into the heart and soul of this otherwise godless institution." She opened the door to the Torch and motioned the men inside, following in after Whitney. "Welcome to the Torch." The blonde sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "It might look very underwhelming at this moment, but that's thanks to some crack addict who thought it funny to come in here and trash the place when he couldn't find any money."

Or, well, that was the story they were going with.

Jason went to the taped up remains of the window.

Lex gazed around room before zeroing on the Wall of Weird, walking towards it with his hands in his pockets as he began to read the articles of the weird happenings that went on around Smallville. "Jason, come look at this."

Jason turned from the window and joined Lex at his side, eyeing the articles before sending Chloe a little look over his shoulder. "A hobby of yours?"

She cleared her throat, sharing a look with Whitney. "You could call the unexplained something like a fascination of mine."

"Fascination," Jason echoed, eyes on the articles once more.

Lex eyed an article in particular. "There was a freak meteor shower?"

"Ah yes, years back." Chloe nodded, coming closer and standing between the men, eyeing the article with the picture of a young, crying Lana Lang. "Most of the meteor ended up buried underground in the now defunct Heller Mine, but many of the pieces that'd broken off before impact destroyed a lot of Smallville. Killed many people as well." She eyed the picture of a crying Lana, the girl having lost both her parents in one day, right before her eyes. "The old people say that it was an omen of the dark things that were happening in Smallville at the time and that the reason why no one was warned about the meteor was because it didn't actually come from space."

"Is that so?" Lex turned his blue gaze on her curiously. "If it didn't come from space, where exactly did they think it came from?"

She shrugged. "There are many different conflicting versions to that story." The blonde moved from between them to sit on her seat. "All I know is that up to today NASA can't explain where that meteor came from or how they couldn't see it coming from miles away, nor do they have any record of it smashing through our atmosphere."

The men were silent, sharing looks.

"Gentlemen!" Whitney suddenly pushed away from the door. "Enough of Nerddom." He motioned to the door. "I'll show you where the warriors of the school..."

"...walk around in jock straps and high five each other every couple of seconds before giving each other manly slaps on the bum." Chloe rolled her eyes.

Whitney made a face at her. "Have you been peeking in on us?"

She grinned brightly at him. "You've caught me."

"I'd like to talk to you more about this-" Lex turned to Chloe, motioning to the articles.

"The Wall of Weird?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Yes." He nodded. "We will have to schedule an appointment to just sit down and talk."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Sure." This would be a good way to weasel an interview out of the guy! "Let me write down my number and you can call me whenever to set it up." Going to the desk, she wrote down her number on a post-it before holding it out to Lex, who reached for it and gazed down at the number.

"Thank you. Expect a call from me within the week." Placing the note in his pocket, Lex turned to Whitney. "Lead the way. Jason's probably dying to see the football field."

Whitney turned towards the other guy. "Do you play?"

"He was our school's star Quarterback. The coach cried when he graduated." Lex grinned, obviously teasing his friend. "What was it that they used to call you?"

"I don't remember," Jason replied serenely. "And if you do, I'll remember what you used to be called."

"We truly are old men, getting Alzheimers." Lex chuckled wryly as he turned to Whitney. "Please, lead the way."

Whitney nodded, motioning for them all to follow, his blue gaze meeting Chloe's and motioning for her to join.

She blinked and nodded, pushing off from the desk and hurrying after them, this time the one in the back as Whitney led them through the school talking about the Crows and their winning streak. Chloe took this opportunity to look at them from behind. They were both incredibly good looking men and she couldn't help but wonder exactly what the real reason they were here at the high school was.

Sure, Luthor might be trying to buy out the town more than it already was (the fertilizer employed around half the population of Smallville), but there was something else going on here. Any other normal person who had just experienced what these two had would have been shaken, to say the least. They were completely new to Smallville and its oddities and on their first day they'd been subjected to something incredibly weird and frightening for even Smallville standards... and they weren't even acting shaken. The two men had shaken it off ridiculously easily, Jason now talking to Whitney about the team's statistics and other things she just didn't follow.

Lex was silent, but it wasn't because he was bored. Chloe could recognize a fellow intellectual; could sense a familiar sharpness of mind, and knew that Lex was taking everything in like a sponge; the walls, the floors, the pictures, them. He'd slowed his pace just enough for him to be able to catch her out of the corner of his eyes (which wouldn't have been noticeable if she hadn't been watching for it), and he seemed to be sizing up Whitney as well.

Taking all of this into consideration, and also the way he had acted with the others, Chloe wondered exactly what Lex Luthor was really doing there. He'd seemed fascinated with Lana's hair for some reason, gazing at her eyes as if they held some mystery he needed to solve, and the glance he'd given the others proved that they interested him as well.

"Here we go." Whitney opened the door for the men and let them in, yelling inside. "Coach! Mr. Luthor is here!" He gripped Chloe's arm when she would have followed inside, letting the door swing closed between them as Coach could be heard greeting Lex and Jason. Whitney ushered Chloe away from the door, moving in the opposite direction, voice low. "Those two should have been running for the hills after what happened. I nearly am."

She nodded, keeping up with him.

"They make me uneasy," Whitney admitted as he gazed over his shoulder, obviously hating to do so when it meant showing some vulnerability. "The only reason I don't think they were behind whatever happened is because they were affected as well... but that could be the whole point."

"It wasn't them." Chloe shook her head, sure of it. "It was someone else. When I kissed him-"

"Wait, what?" Whitney turned to her, eyes narrowed. "Who did you kiss?"

Chloe stared up at him, worrying her bottom lip, belatedly realizing that Pete was the only one who knew about her kissing thing. "I might have forgotten to tell you something important."

Whitney narrowed his blues as his grip tightened on her arm. "Do you know those guys?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, and I don't want to talk about this here." She turned to fully face him. "Come home with me. Dad'll call to make sure I'm okay, he might even come in to check make sure I'm alright, but he has things he has to do, especially with his new boss here in Smallville." Her greens stared up at his blues. "_Come home with me_."

Whitney eyed her before sighing and nodding, loosening his grip on her arm until it fell limp at his side. "Okay. After you finish spilling your guts we can continue our search."

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"I didn't think you'd come," Grant declared, smiling at her as she arrived with her bags.

"Neither did I," Diana whispered, pulling closer.

He stared deep into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am. Are you sure about this?" she challenged back.

Grant smiled before grabbing her bags. "Let's go, the car's outside."

Diana followed, not even wanting to think about all that she was leaving behind. She just had to go, had to leave; couldn't stay in this place, not after everything that'd happened to her.

If she stayed she'd go insane.

Grant opened the trunk of his car, placing her things inside.

As Diana opened the car door she felt a tingling in her hand. The brunette frowned and looked down at her palm in the moonlight, eyes widening in horror when she saw the sign of Balcoin burnt into her palm just as it had once burned into that of John Blackwell.

"You okay?" Grant asked, closing the trunk.

Diana looked up and gave him a feeble smile as she opened the car door. "Of course... Let's just get out of here." And with that she slid into the car and closed the door, shoving her palm into her jacket, refusing to unclench her fist.

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"How could you not tell me about this?" If Whitney hadn't already been seated, he would have collapsed, eyes wide as he stared at the girl.

"To be fair, I only just found out about my mother being the damned skinwalker who attacked me," Chloe muttered, sitting next to him on the sofa, feet folded underneath her.

"What about this whole pink-mist kiss shit?" Whitney wanted to know, annoyed beyond belief. "Why would you tell Pete and not me? I am a part of your unofficial Circle, not him! He's a part of Nell's Circle! Because let's be honest here, that Circle is Nell's, not Lana's."

"Pete has been like a brother to me ever since I've known him." Chloe frowned at Whitney, the palms of her hands itching. "I needed someone to talk to. He could sense that something was wrong and he got it out of me. Also, they might be in a different Circle, but that doesn't make them the enemy."

"It is if Nell's in league with your psycho mom – no offense intended."

She sighed, leaning hard into the seat. "None taken."

Whitney groaned, feeling like a bully as he eyed her dejected state. "Look Chloe, I don't mean to be the bad guy, but we're outnumbered and we only have each other we can really trust at the moment. I'm trusting you a hundred percent – I told you about my dad and the coach – I need to know that this is a two way street."

Guilt passed over her features. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn't trust you."

Whitney turned to her. "Chloe, if we're going to do this as lone wolves, we need to be able to trust each other."

Chloe turned fully towards him as well, eyeing him. "There's something else... but I need you to swear never to reveal what I'm going to tell you."

He could see the severity, the fear in her eyes, and he nodded, scooting closer, holding his hand out towards her. When she just eyed it curiously he wiggled his hand around, prompting her to place her hand in his. "No, like this." The boy rearranged their hold on each other so that they were clasping the other's forearm instead, his blues catching her greens and keeping them. "By this blood oath I decree, brotherhood and fidelity. Should I renege on this decree, agony will forever accompany me."

Chloe's eyes were wide on him. "What are we doing?"

"We're vowing to each other that we're trustworthy, and proving how serious we are by naming our punishment should we ever betray the other," Whitney declared evenly. "Nell once told us that she and her Circle did similar vows to each other, which were broken after the circle was broken."

"But we're not a Circle," Chloe whispered.

He nodded slowly. "But we're the closest thing to a Circle that each other has."

And he was right.

So right.

Licking her lips, Chloe tightened her grip on his forearm, taking a deep breath. "With this blood oath I decree, sisterhood and fidelity. Should I renege on this decree, agony will forever accompany me."

Blues and greens stared deeply into each other as their magics jolted, the teens hissing as they held on tightly and rode out the pain in their joined hands, their palms and the flesh by their elbows feeling as if they'd been sliced and then cauterized with fire.

Finally, when the pain slowly died and faded away, the teens pulled their hands away, eyes widening as a six point star was burnt into the fleshy bit of their palm under their thumbs. A quick glance on their arm proved that there was a small vertical line on their elbow.

The blondes looked up at each other, blinking, before slowly leaning hard against the sofa as they just stared at each other.

"Does this make us a Circle?" Chloe asked softly.

Whitney shook his head. "A Circle is six."

"What's two?" The investigative reporter wanted to know.

He thought for a moment, before answering. "Something new."

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Diana was running away with a guy she didn't know just to get away from the Circle and her dark magic. She obviously was too scared of what she could be, still blamed Cassie for everything, and even though the blonde had begged her to stay, had even suggested they rebind the Circle to keep them safer from these other Balcoins that John said were coming – Diana had shaken her head, refused, and left.

Cassie was now truly alone.

Her mother was dead, her grandmother was dead, her father was dead... and now her sister wanted nothing to do with her.

Melissa and Adam were showing an attraction to each other, Jake and Faye were hitting it off once again...Where did that leave Cassie?

Feeling a tingling in the palm of her hand, Cassie opened her closed fist and stared at her palm, numb with shock as the same symbol that was burned into her father's palm – the Balcoin symbol – now was burned into hers.

Pushing up from the seat, Cassie went towards the light and stared at the symbol. Flashes of it on John's palm, on the medallion and then on that cave wall with Chloe flashed before her eyes before she suddenly smiled softly. Almost as if in a trance, she raised her hand towards the fireplace, and even though there wasn't any wood in it, a huge fire erupted inside.

Her smile twisted slightly, and the fire grew in intensity.

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"He's a Dabbler," Lex declared as they slid into his Jaguar, locking the doors behind them, the bald billionaire starting the engine. "He stunk of unnatural magic."

"I know," Jason agreed, putting on his seatbelt as Lex backed out of the parking space, scrunching up his face at the thought of Coach Arnold. "At one point I had to literally force myself to not cover my nose, his abuse of it is rotting him from the inside and it's sickening to smell."

"I'm surprised that no one else seems able to smell it." Lex admitted, exiting the parking lot and pulling out into the empty road. "But this could work in our favor if we are patient enough."

Jason sent Lex a sideways glance. "Is that so?"

"Yes." Lex stared ahead of him. "What did you think about them?"

"The Circle?" Jason didn't know why he was even asking, he knew what Lex was talking about. "She's here."

Lex turned to him, eyes wide. "It is the Lang girl then."

"I don't know, maybe." Jason looked away, uncomfortable.

Lex's eyes narrowed on him. "She has long dark hair, just like the girl in Crouch End."

"She does," Jason agreed. "But you dress up and disguise yourself in Crouch End."

That was true, and something Lex had been contemplating as well throughout the whole trip through the school. Jason usually didn't pick up on subtle possibilities like this and Lex had been certain that the guy would be sure it was Lana, but the fact that he wasn't...

Lex eyed him in silence before shifting gears. "What's on your mind, Jace?"

He let out a little breath. "She kissed me again."

"The Lang girl kissed you?" Lex tested the guy once more. "When?"

"I don't know if it was the Lang girl – it could be the blonde or someone else who isn't even a part of the Circle." Jason rubbed his arm. "All I know is that when I was on that floor, feeling like I was dying, she kissed me and she saved me. It felt like-"

"Yes?" Lex prompted when Jason fell silent.

"It felt like she was drawing the spell out of me and into herself, but it didn't affect her." Jason frowned.

Lex's gaze turned to the road. "Do you think she knows it was you at Crouch End?"

"Maybe she kisses anyone," Jason grumbled, looking away, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "She kissed you, didn't she?"

Lex's gaze went to his friend at the resentful tone, wondering if there wasn't some little bit of the enthrallment still in Jason. If it was... maybe... maybe he could use it to track down the Balcoin Firstborn.

Letting out a little breath, Lex pressed down on the gas.

They needed to get to the Manor and start planning their next move.

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"Why are you freaking out on me like this?" Pete frowned at his parents, his father drinking a glass of wine and his mother smoking, both of those activities were the type his parents would usually reproach as completely unchristian. "What's going on?"

"You weren't affected by what happened today, were you?" His mother asked shakily, breathing out a cloud of smoke.

"No." Pete shook his head, eyes narrowed on them. "What's going on? You guys don't smoke or drink! You think it's-"

"It doesn't matter anymore." His father took another gulp of his wine. "We tried being good people, hoped that our actions would protect you, but today showed us what fools we were."

His mother sniffled.

"What are you talking about?" For the first time, fear began to fill Pete's soul as he stared at his parents, his palm burning slightly, the boy rubbing it against his pants leg.

"Honey, we need you to understand that we were trying to protect you by keeping you away from all of this," his mother whispered. "I didn't want you to have to pay because of what I did."

His father reached out and curled an arm around her shoulders.

"What did you do?" Pete wanted to know, rubbing his palm harder against his pant leg before finally raising his palm up to see if he'd gotten a bug bite or something for it was so itchy... and that was when he saw it... the symbol. "What the-?"

His father's glass smashed against the tiles.

"Oh no," his mother cried in terror. "We have to leave. Now. Before he comes!"

"What? Who?" Pete looked at them in confusion.

His mother shook, visibly terrified. "John Blackwell."

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By the time she was finished telling Whitney everything, Chloe was tired, leaning hard against the sofa as she watched him try to digest it all.

"So you think this John Blackwell guy was behind today's attack?" Whitney frowned, apparently deciding to start on that point. "And that one of the reasons why you weren't affected was because he wouldn't want to hurt you?"

"It's one of my theories... but it doesn't make any sense." Chloe sighed, scratching her still itchy palms. "He didn't seem like a psycho person when he was here; he was nice, funny, a genuinely great guy who I trusted."

Whitney frowned. "Something might have happened to him. Maybe it was a distress call or a reactive spell or something?"

Chloe frowned, not having thought of that. "I'm supposed to send him something, but he hasn't told me where to send it yet."

"The thing he had you pick up from this nightclub you barely got out of alive?" It was obvious Whitney was still annoyed with her for having done that alone.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Well, what is it?" He wanted to know.

"I don't know." The blonde snorted. "I wasn't about to open the package."

"Why not?" the Quarterback challenged. "You risked your life for it. The least he owes you is letting you know what he put you in danger for."

Chloe worried her bottom lip in contemplation before giving a little growl as she scratched her palms harder, gaze lowering to them before widening. "_Oh my god_."

"What is it?" Whitney reached her for palms, and in the middle of each of them a huge symbol was burnt into her flesh. "Did this happen because of our blood oath?"

"No... I know this symbol," Chloe whispered, eyes wide as she closed her hands around Whitney's. "You need to come with me, _now_."

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"John Blackwell is dead," Davis declared, staring at the computer screen at Lex and Jason, able to see their shock. "He was killed by his daughters, Cassie Blake and Diana Meade. Charles Meade also consumed the demons in Eben, killing him, and has been bound to catatonia with the demons inside of him. His mind and body are gone, now serving as a living, unmoving prison for them."

Lex drummed his fingers, eyeing them as he digested this, before finally speaking. "The spell today was cast by him I presume."

"That's what we're figuring." He nodded. "We also think the girls killed Daddy Dearest to stop him."

"Where are Tess and Oliver?" Lex finally seemed to notice their absence.

"Diana Meade left town with her boyfriend. They are tailing her to make sure we don't lose her," Davis replied. "The other girl, Cassie, is here so I've stayed behind to keep an eye on her."

Jason scratched at his eyebrow. "The Firstborn is here in Smallville."

Davis' eyes widened as he leaned forwards towards the screen. "You've confirmed this?"

"Yeah." Jason nodded. "We're still exactly not sure who it is, but she's definitely here."

Davis let out a little breath as he leaned back once more. "Now what?"

"Tess and Oliver should stay on the trail, and you stay there while Jason and I work on the Circle here," Lex declared. "I have a feeling this is only just beginning."

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"What is this place?" Whitney whispered in shock, looking around him, flashlight skimming the many different drawings on the cave's walls.

"I don't know, but when I disappeared from the barrier I ended up down here," Chloe responded, hand in his, leading him through the winding passageways, seeming to know instinctively which veins to take and which turns to make, finally entering the chamber she'd fallen into. "Look. That big symbol over there ahead of us."

Whitney's flashlight shone on it, eyes widening. "It's the symbol on your palms."

"Yes," she whispered, tightening her grip on his hand. "It is."

"Do you know what it is?" he asked, unable to look away from it.

"I had a dream once here. It's all vague and I don't really remember much from it in detail, but this part stuck to me," Chloe murmured, unable to look away from the symbol either. "That's the symbol of Balcoin."

"What's a Balcoin?" Whitney asked the question she'd been asking herself for so long.

She whispered out the answer. "A family."

Raising both of her branded palms upwards towards the corresponding symbol, Chloe gasped as that other magic in her, the darker one, shot out and suddenly the symbol on the wall began to glow, an explosion of power erupting from it, lighting up all the other symbols and drawings on the wall, the cave lighting up as if there was electricity.

The two teens stood in the middle of the magnificent cavern, staring around them in awe.

"A family?" Whitney echoed, voice breathy.

"I think-" Chloe's gaze lowered to her branded palms, gulping hard. "My family."

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TBC


	22. A House Divided

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"We really haven't had time to sit down and talk lately," her father declared during breakfast, looking up from his cereal. "Things have been a little crazy in both of our lives, haven't they?"

Gulping down a bit of coffee, Chloe looked up at her father and gave him a wry smile. The man definitely had no idea about just how crazy things had been lately. "Yeah, it's been a bit, huh?"

He nodded, clearing his throat as he licked his lips. "So, uh, I've heard you met Mr. Luthor."

She was surprised that her father was bringing that up and not the weird ass internal burning that'd nearly killed people all over Smallville... And according to the news, a small group of people all over the world had experienced this illness before it suddenly healed up. "Yeah, Whitney and I gave him and his friend a little tour of the school before leaving them with Coach Arnold." She gave him a little smile. "Mr. Luthor is interested in my Wall of Weird and wants to talk about it later and I thought it would be the best way to get an interview out of him. The girls in school will eat up-"

"Chloe, I don't think it's a good idea if you associate with Mr. Luthor and his friend." He wouldn't look at her, stabbing at his cereal with his spoon. "He's an older man, also my boss, and-"

"Dad, I'm not going to do anything to get you fired." Chloe frowned, a little surprised by this. "And anyway, it's not like I'd be going alone. And I can take care of myself. You know that."

"I do." Gabe nodded slowly, tension causing a muscle to jump in his cheek. "But, honey, I'm serious. I do not want you associating with Mr. Luthor, or any of his friends. Do you understand me?"

"But-"

"Chloe!" And for the first time in years, Gabriel Sullivan raised his voice angrily at his daughter. "I forbid you from having any contact with Lex Luthor or his friends! Do you understand that?"

The blonde sat on her seat in utter shock, just staring at her father. "I-"

"Do. You. Understand?" Gabe stressed.

"Yes." Chloe gulped, unable to believe what was happening right now. Usually she could weasel her way when it came to her father, but for the first time she could see steel and fire when she looked at him and not a cuddly teddy bear, and it was slightly mindboggling. "I understand."

"Good." Letting out a little sigh, Gabe gave her a weak smile. "So how are things going with you otherwise?"

Licking her lips, not sure how to feel about this, Chloe returned the weak smile. "Fine. Everyone in school is getting ready for the big Game Saturday night between Smallville and Jefferson."

"Sounds nice, honey. We should go and see it," Gabe declared.

She nodded slowly before her phone vibrated, the blonde checking it and raising an eyebrow at the message. "Hey, my ride is here. I'll see you later."

"Is something wrong with your car?" he asked in worry.

"Nah, just carpooling, trying our best to save the environment!" she lied easily, grabbing her bag and pressing a kiss to his cheek and was about to dash out when he grabbed her hand.

Gabe sighed as he looked up at her. "I don't like arguing with you Chlo, but I'm trying to protect you, please believe that."

"I know." The smile that slowly curved her lips was genuine this time as Chloe bent down and pressed another kiss to his forehead. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too," he whispered.

Her phone vibrated again. "Gotta go! See you tonight!" And with that she dashed out of the house, closing the door behind her and raising an eye at the truck purring outside her gate.

Whitney reached over and opened the passenger's door. "Get in."

"Your manners are impeccable." She snorted, slipping into the seat and closing the door behind her, buckling in. "So, you want to tell me why you're here?"

"Something's happened to Pete," Whitney replied, eyes on the rearview mirror as he merged into traffic.

"What?" Chloe whispered, eyes wide. "What are you talking about?"

"Last night he called Clark but Clark's phone was dead and he only got the message after it charged this morning." Whitney tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "The message Pete left said his parents had gone insane and they were talking about leaving immediately, scared that the devil or something like that was after Pete.

"They've completely lost the plot," Chloe whispered, pale. "Is he okay?"

"That's it, we don't know." Whitney took a left. "Clark went there immediately after hearing the message, but by the time he got there they were gone."

"Gone?" She felt like such an idiot, only able to echo his word.

"They left most of their things behind, so it was obviously a spur of the moment decision. Lana and Nell are already there as well as Greg, trying to figure out what is going on and why they just split like that."

Chloe felt on edge immediately, knowing that Nell was there, but pushed it back, Pete's well-being meaning more than anything she was going through right now. "They wouldn't hurt him though. I mean, no matter how weird they can be, Mr. and Mrs. Ross love Pete and would never hurt him. Half of the reason why they're the way they are is because they're always so worried about him – soul and all."

"Does kidnapping your own son and leaving all you have behind sound like something a reasonable person would do?" Whitney countered, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

Chloe couldn't answer that and remained silent for the rest of the drive to Pete's house, gnawing worriedly on her thumbnail as she gazed out the passenger's side window.

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Gabriel Sullivan was horribly on edge and knew it was beginning to show.

Pacing the floor, he tried phoning John's number for what seemed like the millionth time since the failure of yesterday. He'd known from the second that people were reporting seemingly unconnected groups of people coming down with a mysterious deadly illness that John was finally doing what he'd set out to do now that he knew his lineage would be secured through magical children. This had always been the Endgame and, while a part of Gabe had felt guilty for the many innocent who'd be killed, he'd known it would be the best for Chloe. Anyway, his family had always served the Balcoins, and if this was what John wanted, Gabe didn't even really consider otherwise.

It was the way he'd been raised by his parents, the reason why he could marry a woman he didn't love, the reason why he could love John's daughter with all his heart. His family was born to love, serve, and most importantly, protect the Balcoins. They weren't a magical family and that was okay because magically the Balcoins usually had everything under control. No, their job was to help them to blend in, to escape notice, to escape capture. Hadn't it been Gabe's own father who'd rescued John when his whole family had been destroyed?

He and John had been raised like brothers, but Gabe had always known it was his duty to serve John. When John had forced him to stay in Smallville and protect the pregnant Moira (and thus his heir), Gabe had done so reluctantly. His worry grew to grief and self-loathing when the news of John's death reached them. He'd admittedly had a fast down-spiral of depression, had considered killing himself more than once for failing at his sacred duty, but that same duty had kept him alive. John was dead, but that life growing inside Moira was not, it was a Balcoin, to his knowledge the last Balcoin.

And then, when Moira had given birth to Chloe and he'd held her in his arms for the first time, just like magic his grief had disappeared. As she'd curled her tiny little hand around his index finger and cooed he'd found a reason to smile for the first time in too long.

For years things had been tranquil… and then John had returned from the dead. While Gabe was happy his friend was alive, he had begun fearing what this would mean for Chloe, especially with the news John had brought with him. And now, as Gabe called once more without any answer, he could feel the cold hand of dread creeping down his spine.

There was only one way that the spell wouldn't have completed. Only one. John wouldn't have let all his plans go to ruin, not while he still breathed.

Cursing when the call went to voicemail, Gabe threw the phone on the ground, smashing it to pieces as he leaned hard against the wall.

Everything was crashing down all around him and he didn't know what to do.

John was dead... And if that wasn't bad enough news, Lex Luthor and Jason Teague were here in Smallville and had already met Chloe. He knew that a chain of events had been started and he wouldn't be able to stop what was happening and that filled him with fear.

John's death, his failure, changed everything.

Grabbing his briefcase, Gabe turned and headed towards the door, knowing better than to be late. Today was Lex Luthor's first official day at the fertilizer plant.

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Chloe hugged herself as she looked around the place, unable to believe that the Rosses were gone and had taken Pete with them while leaving virtually everything behind. It didn't seem so much as a crazed thing to do as a terrified one and that made her uneasy as she subconsciously moved closer to where Whitney and Clark were standing. She'd known the Rosses since she was very young and, while they'd always been a little more religious than most people, they'd never shown the intense fervor they had in the last couple of months. It was almost as if they were trying to prove something with their piety, or were so scared, they were doing the best they could to prove something to God so he'd do something.

"Try using your Gift," Nell instructed Greg.

The boy flexed his hands, which still bore the scars of the burning but were healing, sighing as he looked around, trying to find an object to use. He'd been trying to work his Touch-Sight since discovering its existence, but so far he'd met with mediocre results. It wasn't reliable as he had yet to get any sort of power over it.

Gaze locking onto a fallen angel ornament, Greg cleared his throat and knelt down next to it, picking up the angel, whose wing had broken off in the fall. He clasped it tightly in his fist and closed his eyes, concentration visible on his face.

Chloe, Clark, Whitney, Lana and Nell drew closer as quietly as they could, expectant, holding their breaths.

Greg's eyes opened and he growled, shaking his head. "Nothing."

"You're not trying hard enough," Nell told him sharply. "You have this gift. Your friend depends on it. Use it!"

A muscle jumped in Greg's eye as he closed his them once more, tighter. His grip tightened on the angel as he tried with all his might. "It – It keeps flickering away before I can see anything."

"Try harder!" Lana, who'd looked close to tears ever since Chloe had arrived, stepped closer.

"I am trying harder!" Greg snapped, opening his eyes, seeming about to throw the angel away in his mounting frustration. "There isn't a goddamn on and off switch that I can flip easily! It's there but I can't – I can't-!"

"I'm sorry." Lana's gaze lowered, her voice breaking, a tear slipping down her pale cheek. "I'm just so scared for Pete right now."

Greg closed his eyes, tilting his head downwards as he remained on bended knees.

Clark growled, obviously also holding tightly onto his overwhelming fear and worry, turning and kicking a fallen chair. It was a testament to Clark's extreme emotions that he lost his patience this violently.

Greg winced.

Whitney folded his arms over his chest, speaking softly to Chloe even though his eyes were on Greg. "They're doing this wrong. They're stressing him out more and that's only going to make him repress his ability harder, even if only subconsciously."

He was right.

The way everyone was acting wasn't going to help Greg at all.

Sending Whitney a sideways glance, Chloe unwrapped her arms from around herself and walked up to Greg. She bent down in front of him, drawing his dark gaze to her as she gave him a little smile. "Hey, it's okay." She reached up with her scarred palm and placed it over the hand clutching the broken angel. "This is just like before, remember? You told me to relax. To breathe in and out and look into your eyes. Look at me and concentrate on Pete." She reached out with her other hand and softly brushed some strand of hair out of his face. "Just relax, breathe, that's it." She gave him a little smile, staring into his eyes to help him establish that connection. "You can do this." Her hand tightened over his. "I know you can."

Slowly she could feel the tension draining out of his body, his pupils growing slowly larger, pulsating as they did so, before suddenly bleeding out completely. There was nothing but black in his eyes as his hands moved slightly to trap her scarred one in between both of his and the angel.

Silence fell upon those watching and while Chloe wasn't dragged into his vision this time, she knew that he was having one. His pupils had bled out into his whole eyes, his body lax except for his hands, which were tightly trapping hers, trembling slightly. She slowly caressed his hair, keeping him in a relaxed state as whatever he saw played before his eyes and mind… And then Greg's pupils contracted rapidly, whites and browns returning as he gasped violently for breath.

"It's okay!" Chloe coaxed his gaze to return to hers. "You're fine. You did it."

"What did you see?" Clark wanted to know.

"I – they-" Greg brought one hand to his head. "They were scared. Very scared." He groaned, pressing his hand hard against his forehead as if to try and quell a splitting headache. "I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but they thought someone was after them, after Pete." He looked up at Chloe, pale. "A witch. They thought an evil witch was coming after Pete and that he was in danger. It's why they left."

"He's in danger?" Lana gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth before turning Nell. "We have to find them! We have to help!"

Nell eyed everyone in silence before turning her back on them, walking towards the window. "Maybe we should just let them go."

"No!" Lana snapped, surprising everyone as she viciously stood up to her aunt. "Pete is a part of my Circle and he's in danger! He needs us! I will not leave him when he needs me the most!"

"You'll have to miss school," Nell contemplated.

"I can catch up when we've saved Pete and he's back here with us," Lana replied.

"I don't have anyone to look after the shop," Nell continued.

"I can take care of that," Chloe offered, slowly standing as Greg did the same.

Nell turned, an odd expression on her face. "You would?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "I can't go with you but I can help in that way. I'm good with managing things and I'm quick on the uptake as well. I'm sure you have a couple of books on floral arrangements that I could look over." She hugged herself once more. "The boys will help me too, of course." None of them even tried to deny that. "By the time you come back with Pete, things will be better than when you were here."

Nell eyed her, lips twitching slightly before nodding, turning to Lana. "We have to leave now if we are to have any sort of luck catching onto their trail."

Lana nodded before going to Chloe and hugging her tightly. "Thank you." She reached out and hugged the other boys as well, whispering something Clark, who nodded, before rushing to her car. "Come on Aunt Nell!"

Nell eyed Chloe as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys, handing them over. "I trust I'll come back and find my shop just the way I left it."

Chloe reached out and took the keys from her. "Merry Part and Merry Meet Again."

Those lips twitched further as Nell nodded, gave a curt nod to the boys, and then left after Lana.

Silence reigned over the four left in the Ross' home as they listened to a car door slam shut and then an engine start, tires turning as the car backed out into the street and sped away.

"She promised they'd bring Pete and his parents back and that they'd protect him if someone's really after him," Clark whispered, staring at a picture of him and Pete hanging on the wall.

"What do we do now?" Greg asked no one in particular, still holding onto that broken angel.

"We help around Nell's flower shop," Whitney declared, gaze going to Chloe.

She could feel the questions he had for her, especially the one asking why she'd take over the shop of the woman she should truly be avoiding, but for now she was relieved for his trust and support.

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Jason looked around the vacant Manor and couldn't help but feel he was in the Minotaur's labyrinth instead of a home. Then again, while they were born to be the leaders of their Circle, the Luthors were never the homey or welcoming type.

He'd known Lex since they were kids. Their parents were in a Circle and so it made sense that the children, as well, would bind their own Circle as had their ancestors. His own parents had comprised of two of the members of the Circle, both strong in their own magical right, as both Edward Teague and Genevieve Capet liked to remind Lionel whenever the man got a little testy. Their own Circle had fallen when Oliver's father Robert and Davis' mother Faora were killed, while Pat's father Virgil went missing and was never found, presumed dead. It was because of this that their parents' own hunt for any Balcoins had ended. The children grew up hearing about John Blackwell and the Balcoin lineage… and the debt owed to their Circle. A debt which their parents had thought would never be recovered when news of Balcoin's death rocked the magical world.

Jason knew the fact that John Blackwell and his children were still alive was the only reason his parents didn't throw a fit when they found out he was going to Smallville. The Circle here and his own had never truly been the best of friends in the past, a war especially blooming between the Capets and the Thoreaux. It had been Genevieve 's ancestress Duchess Gertrude who'd been the one to have Countess Isobel Thoreaux and her two closest Circle mates Madelyn Hibbins and Brianna Withridge burnt to the stake. Ever since then, the Capets and Thoreaux had been at war with each other.

And now it was more than likely that either a Thoreaux or a Hibbins was also the Balcoin Firstborn… Well… that could prove to be awkward, all things considered. Especially if it was a Thoreaux.

Lex seemed sure it was Lana Lang and Jason figured it made the most sense. Not only did she have the right hair, but the girl was the natural born leader of her Circle, just like Cassie Blake, and John Blackwell would have wanted to have a child with those most powerful in their respective Circles. So his mind told him that Lana Lang was perfect for the Firstborn… but his instincts told him the opposite. There were wigs that could be involved, contacts definitely had been, so why not a wig? It'd be smart to throw someone off her trail by wearing a different color and length than her own. If she was there under John's orders, as Jason suspected, then John would have wanted her completely incognito.

Also?

That'd been a Catwoman mask. Probably recycled from some old Halloween disguise… from which a brown wig could have been included.

And while those were just wild suppositions… Well, Lana Lang had been clearly unnerved and was being comforted by the others. She'd hugged herself, was somewhat shivering and had let the guys take over in protection.

Chloe Sullivan hadn't. Despite the weirdness that'd happened, she'd been spunky and charismatic and damned funny. She'd acted as if none of what had happened had affected her in the least bit.

And it wouldn't have… if she was the Firstborn.

Also… that spark when they'd touched… for a second, Jason could have sworn he'd heard the walls hum the beginning of the Ride of the Valkyries.

Jason sighed, running his hand over his face.

He had his marching orders. Lex had made it pretty clear that while he infiltrated the lives of each and every Circle member outside of school, Jason was to somehow infiltrate the school itself. They weren't sure exactly how they were going to make that happen, but Lex wanted every aspect of these teens' lives under scrutiny until they could prove that Lana Lang was the Firstborn. As Lex said, it might be Lang, Chloe, or some other girl who was not affiliated with that Circle at all.

And that was a big possibility since they were only going on Lex's gut feeling that the Firstborn was from Smallville. She could be from somewhere else entirely. The girl hadn't said where she'd be driving to, just that she would. This was making a very large leap but Lex was their leader and they'd follow his orders, broken Circle or not.

And yet blonde and green flashed before his eyes.

Giving a little sigh, Jason leaned against the wall, not exactly sure what was going to happen once they found the Firstborn. He knew what Lex wanted, especially now that Patricia was dead and he was hell-bent, but…

Before Jason's eyes images flashed of her kissing him, of the insane magic that'd flooded him… He gave a little shake, hazels opening.

He needed to focus.

That kiss didn't matter.

It didn't.

It was just the Firstborn enthralling the closest witch she could find so he'd protect her.

That was all.

Slamming his fist backwards into the wall, a muscle jumped in Jason's cheek as he stormed away.

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Exactly where were Whitney and Chloe?

Clark felt frustration fill him as he gazed around the school, unable to find any sort of evidence that they'd arrived. He was already on edge with everything that'd happened with Pete, and Greg was being his "Pete's a capable guy, stop stressing" self. Clark knew that Chloe would probably be the only other person who'd had such a close relationship with Pete and would understand his worries, and yet when he needed her, she was no where to be found. She was obviously somewhere with Whitney.

And now that he thought about it, since when had she and Whitney gotten so close?

The guy had lived to torment her before so when had things changed so drastically?

The bell rung signaling that break was over and Clark trudged to his next class, fist clenched.

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After having packed lightly and informed Peggy that she was going to be out for a couple of days and that Chloe would be taking care of things for her, Nell and Lana had hit the road, burning rubber. A part of the woman wanted to stay and witness what was going on, especially after the spiritual attack of yesterday and Luthor and Teague's appearance in Smallville, but another had her pressing down on the gas. Moira's words echoed in her mind and the woman knew that it was best if she left Smallville for a little. There was a lot she needed to think over and very little time to do so.

Lana leaned her forehead against the window, lost in her own world.

Nell sent her niece a sideways glance, worried.

Lana was a Potter and a Thoreaux. She was powerful. She was born to lead the Circle… and yet back there, she'd failed to lead. She'd let her emotions run wild and had nearly blown things for them. If Chloe hadn't stepped in and calmed Greg enough for him to actually…

…Nell gave a little growl, one which Lana didn't even hear.

Lana needed to be more on the ball.

The Thoreaux/Potter families were the leaders of this Circle, not the Hibbins and definitely not the Balcoin.

Never had been… Never would be.

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"You want to let me in on what your master plan is?" Whitney asked later as they sat on the hood of his truck, eating some fast food in the middle of Miller's Field, or what was left of it. It was quite masochistic, coming here so often after what'd taken place, but after the discovery of the cave and its link to Chloe, well, somehow Whitney felt safer here. He didn't know why he felt that the caves somehow had protected them that night and would protect them again should they be attacked. "I know you didn't offer to help Nell out of the goodness of your heart." He took a sip of his drink. "Obviously I believe you'd want to help Pete, but there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Chloe nodded, chewing her burger and swallowing before answering. "Nell and Lana live above the flower shop. With them out of the picture and with me in charge of the shop and the keys…"

"…You can snoop around their apartment and find exactly what connection Nell has to your mother or anything else that's being planned. Also – If this John Blackwell guy doesn't want her knowing you're a Balcoin then that means she must know about the Balcoin family… and might have those records somewhere in the Talon but most probably in her home… which you will have unlimited access to." Whitney had always known that this girl had a slyness to her, how else would she get all the stories for the Torch if not, but he had to admit that this one impressed him. "You've got to realize that Nell will have magically booby trapped the place, right? She doesn't trust you."

"I know." Chloe nodded calmly. "I'll figure a way around them somehow."

"Maybe you can just-" He wiggled his hands. "Balcoin magic them gone."

Her lips twitched as she sent him a sideways glance. "You've taken everything so incredibly well."

"Well, I figure the whole "You're a Wizard, Harry" moment was about the most surprised I'll ever be." Whitney shrugged. "Other than learning the Balcoins are actually glittering fairies who grant wishes by belching the alphabet, I think I'm fine."

Chloe's lips twitched in obvious amusement. "That sounds horrible. I'd hate to be that."

"It could be fun," Whitney goaded, letting out a deliberate burp.

Chloe smacked him on the back of his head. "I'm eating. Behave."

He laughed, shaking his head as he bit into his burger.

Chloe's gaze went far, a sigh escaping her lips. "I hope he's okay."

The smile slipped from Whitney's mouth as he sighed and reached over, resting his hand on top of her head awkwardly in a pat. "Pete's stronger than people give him credit for. He'll be fine."

Chloe nodded, sighing softly, clenching her scarred hands tightly.

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John had failed.

Moira leaned against a tree, the fur wrapped around her naked shoulders like a blanket as she gazed up at the sunshine through the leaves.

He'd failed.

A slow smile curved her lips.

When she'd felt the agonizing pain she'd known right away what was happening and she'd feared that she'd die. But just as unexpectedly as the pain started it had ended, and she'd known that his life had extinguished along with the pain.

John Blackwell was dead.

She wondered which of his kids had done the deed.

It definitely hadn't been Chloe or Pete; those two still here while John was most definitely not.

Geneva must have realized it too because she and her husband had run off with that boy… obviously not realizing that the fact that they were still alive meant that John was dead. They probably thought that John would now come for the son he'd conceived with Geneva that one weak night of hers – an indiscretion which Rupert knew of and had forgiven given the fact that they'd been taking a break due to his own infidelity. That was why they were running… from a dead man.

The idiots.

Even if John was alive, he knew his blood and he'd find them.

Now that he was dead though, she needed to rethink her game plan. Everything the woman had done so far had been done so knowing that Blackwell was alive.

The arrival of a Luthor and a Teague had complicated things though, and she didn't know exactly how to feel about it.

Not only were their Circles never close – historically rivals for power and dominance – but there was the little pact John had made concerning her daughter.

But for now that didn't matter.

What mattered was that John was dead… finally dead.

A rough sound echoed around her and it took a second for her to realize it was a laugh escaping her lips.

It'd been a long time since she'd laughed.

Uncomfortable, Moira slipped the wolf-head hood of her cloak over her head and felt the transformation begin.

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**TBC**


	23. Flirtation Amidst Flowers

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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The last couple of days had been a continuous adaptation to the newness of her routine. Her father was working all sorts of crazy hours so she hardly ever saw him and while she missed him it was for the best because the girl was hardly home herself. The mornings were finding her car being used less and less, Whitney usually picking her up and taking her to school so they could talk during the drive. He was the planner, interestingly enough, and would use that time for the two of them to figure out what they would be doing that evening after Potter's Potts closed for the night. They'd decide whether to continue their search for the Hibbins' book, continue their search of the Potter's place for anything Balcoin or otherwise related, continue their exploration of the seemingly endless "Balcoin caves" (as Whitney had dubbed them) or spend time with Clark and Greg. After they'd decided what their schedule would be, the two would reach school, spend the rest of the day there and, on the evenings that Whitney had practice after school (most days), Chloe got a ride with either Greg or Clark to Potter's Potts so she could take over for Peggy, who had four kids and a cranky grandmother to get home to. Many times Greg or Clark would stick around with her, Clark trying to help or Greg being a wiseass, and that was fine because Chloe liked them both and didn't really like the idea of being alone.

Today was different though. Clark had dropped her off before apologizing for not being able to stay because of some chores he had to do and Greg was busy with the party that she'd helped him and Pete plan. He'd insisted in confidence when he'd stayed over yesterday that they needed it more than ever and that she was still supposed to keep it a secret because he was sure the other two would declare that it was wrong to have a party right now, all things considered, or try to help and ruin everything.

Chloe was relieved to have the evening to herself though. Just because her life was getting ridiculous magic-wise hadn't meant that she'd neglected the Torch or Trevor's request for help. She felt a little bad about not telling Whitney about this, especially since lately he was the only one who knew all her secrets, but if Coach Arnold started getting suspicious she wanted Whitney's confusion and surprise to be genuine. That way the Coach wouldn't take anything out on him.

The other night she'd placed hidden cameras around the field and only today had she been able to download the video information they'd recorded, gulping as she saw the sprinklers begin to shoot out fire like flamethrowers, the Coach shoving Brad back so hard there was a burnt handprint on his shirt, and a tackle dummy catching on fire when the Coach yelled, losing his temper when Dan tripped and fell.

And then the coach grabbed Whitney by his hair.

Chloe's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Oh, he was going down!

The bell above the door betrayed the entrance and Chloe slammed down the lid of her laptop (yes, she'd gotten a new one – her dad was awesome) and looked up, the mechanical customer service smile tilting in genuine surprise as she saw who it was. "Mr Teague!"

He froze when he saw her, eyes wide, before he cleared his throat and shucked his hands into his leather jacket's pockets, a smile curving his lips as he came forward. "Please, call me Jason. I'm only nineteen. Mr Teague is my father."

"Jason." Her smile was tinged with a blush, finding it just so weird that she'd kissed this incredibly handsome guy and he didn't even know it. "So, what can I do to help you?" She gazed around the flower shop. "A dozen red roses for a special lady who's caught your eye here?" She suddenly paused, turning to look at him, a little disappointed. "Or are you and Mr Luthor-?"

"Are we what?" Jason eyed her in confusion as he drew nearer, before his hazels widened in understanding and he yanked his hands out to shake them vehemently. "No! We are definitely not! Just friends. Only friends. And not with benefits." He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I, uh, I wanted to cheer up the place and was thinking flowers might make it seem less like a mausoleum."

Chloe couldn't stop herself. "Don't you take flowers to mausoleums and grave stones and-?"

He flinched, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I hadn't thought about that."

Oh dear god, he was cute on top of handsome.

How was this fair?

He cleared his throat, hazels turning on her. "So, Lex thinks you're ignoring his calls."

And she was… She'd never seen her father lose his temper like that and it was the only reason why she'd never picked up the calls. "I've been busy, as you can see." She sighed, deciding to play it differently. "I have school in the day and work here at night, as well as homework and work for the Torch so I've been bogged down."

"Yeah, we heard that the owner of this place and her niece just up and left some days ago, as well as another family here, the Ross family, I think they called them." Jason cleared his throat. "Weren't you talking to some of them the day we, uh, met?"

"Yeah, we're friends." Chloe nodded, practicing the easy smile she gave all those who questioned her on this matter. "Pete's family have a dying grandfather they want to be at the bedside of and Lana and her aunt are going to be gone for a while on private business."

Jason nodded, gaze on the flowers all around them. "So how long have you been working here?"

"Just since they left. I'll be taking care of it while they're gone."

His gaze went to her. "So we'll be seeing more of each other then."

She could feel that blush starting to return as she smile up at him. "Only if you come in the evenings, otherwise you'll be dealing with Peggy. But she's been working here for a lot longer than I have, so she'd probably be more useful."

Jason just stared at her, before realizing what he was doing and clearing his throat, looking away. "So, what sort of flowers would you recommend to decorate that place with and not make it look like some sort of tomb?"

"Good question." She typed into the keyboard of the shop's computer, bringing up the different types that they had in stock. "Look here, what do you think?"

He hesitated only a second before coming around the counter and stepping behind her, gazing at the screen. "Definitely not anything pink."

She chuckled, eliminating the pink options. "Maybe you'd like to pick them by meaning?"

"Meaning?" he asked curiously behind her.

A shiver of delight ran down her spine, the girl refusing to look at him as she nodded. "Each flower has a different meaning; it's called the language of flowers. Apparently back in the Victorian-era they used flowers and floral arrangements to send coded messages to one's love and express their feelings." A chuckle escaped her lips. "Don't feel bad if you didn't know. I only discovered this since I started working here and going through Nell's books." She shook her head. "It gives new meaning to the jonquil Mark gave me two Valentines ago."

There was a pause. "What do jonquils mean?"

"Return my affection." She turned halfway towards him, eyes widening as she realized just how close behind her he was, her heart racing in excitement as she stared up into his lowered hazels.

"I don't think I want to be filling Lex's house with jonquils then," he quipped, gaze lowering to her lips.

Chloe reached behind and clutched at the counter, feeling like she was in a trance as she stared at him. "It could get… weird… if he knows the language of flowers."

"It could," he agreed, moving a little closer.

She had a feeling this guy might try and kissing her, which was both completely out of the blue, weird, and… She hoped to god he was going to kiss her.

His phone began ringing causing a sound that was close to a growl to escape his lips before he cleared his throat and pulled away to answer. "What?" He took in a deep breath, going around the counter almost as if seeking safety, running his hand over his face. "I'm not being testy. What do you want?" His gaze went to Chloe and then slid back as he turned, giving her his back. "Davis, this is not the time… Because I'm in the middle of something." He gave a little growl. "It's none of your business who I'm with at this moment; you're not my father for crying out loud!"

Chloe blinked, not exactly sure what was going on and wondering if maybe she should try and give him some space or something.

"What?" Jason froze. "Are – Are you sure?" He turned and gave Chloe a little look before beginning to walk towards the door. "How do you know this?"

Chloe cleared her throat, lowering her gaze to the computer, typing into the system and only when Jason left the shop while still on the phone did she finally give up the pretense of work, a sigh escaping her lips. Disappointment was raw in her, annoyed with this Davis person for the interruption.

The doors flew open and she looked up, expectant, but instead of Jason, it was Van.

"Okay, I'm in the shithouse and broke so I need you to get me something for Dawn that says "Yes, I goddamn remembered your birthday – I just wanted to be the last one to give you a gift". But I can't spend too much on it," Van declared, approaching and slamming his hand down on the counter in exasperation. "I'm saving up for a Harley."

She eyed him. "I can't believe you forgot her birthday's tomorrow."

"You knew?" Van gasped in horror.

"She throws one of the biggest birthday bashes every year." Chloe shook her head at her photographer, unable to believe him. "Why is she with you?"

"Look, I'm feeling crap enough as is." He pouted.

Shaking her head, Chloe sighed, motioning with her head towards the flowers. "I think I have something that might help, but you're going to have to drive to Metropolis immediately and buy her something else. Dawn isn't the type of girl who'll be happy with just flowers. Also, you'll have to pick up the flowers tomorrow so they don't wilt overnight."

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"Are you sure about this?" Jason leaned against the light post, staring through the plated glass windows as Chloe showed some guy some flowers.

"Definitely." Davis sighed. "I was trying to figure out where I'd seen that guy, and after some research I realized that the guy Diana Meade left with is a witch – though I doubt she realizes it."

"And they're heading in this direction." Jason shook his head. "It could be a coincidence."

"Or maybe John Blackwell wasn't working alone," Davis replied evenly. "If Lex's hunch is right and the Firstborn is in Smallville, it would make sense that now that he's dead his people would try and join the children."

"If that's what's going on then why isn't Cassie Blake on her way here?" Jason wanted to know. "Nah, it has to be something else."

"It almost sounds like you don't think the Firstborn is in Smallville – even though Lex said you were kissed by her again."

"I'm just saying that Lana Lang isn't here and Lex is sure it's her," Jason mumbled, gaze following Chloe as she laughed and rubbed the head of the dejected looking boy inside. "So I don't see why they'd be coming here. Obviously Nell Potter realized what our presence here means and she took off with her niece with a flimsy ass excuse. Now that Tess is trying to track them down, I think-" Jason didn't understand the reason why he was so uneasy with Chloe being in there with that boy she seemed to be getting along so incredibly well with. "Don't read so much into nothing like always."

There was a pause and then Davis sighed. "Who pissed in your Wheaties?"

"Is that all?" Jason was feeling edgy. "I really need to-"

"What about the other one?" Davis interrupted. "The Hibbins girl?"

Jason gulped, turning his back on the store. "What about her?"

"What are the chances that she was wearing a wig at Crouch End and that she is the Firstborn?" Davis wanted to know, echoing Jason's own thoughts hauntingly. "Just because Cassie Blake was the daughter of the leader doesn't mean that Blackwell would have only had children with leaders. Lex mentioned she was blonde – Cassie Blake is a blonde too, so it might be something genetic. What else can you tell me about her? What are the color of her eyes? Her body type? Her height? I could compile all those answers into usable data because half of her genes would be the same as Cassie's and so maybe I can-"

"I can handle this." Jason hadn't meant to snap at Davis; the guy was usually his best friend in the Circle, but the thought of Davis having anything to do with this girl annoyed the hell out of him. "Just concentrate on your Balcoin and let me handle the situation here."

"Dude, not my Balcoin." Davis grumbled, still obviously annoyed. "And even so, none of this is relevant; only the Firstborn Balcoin was a part of the pact. We're only keeping an eye on these others because they're Balcoins and can't be trusted."

Right.

The pact.

Jason cleared his throat. "What do you think Lex's game plan is going to be now that we're not bound anymore?"

There was a pause. "You mean now that Patty's dead."

Jason paused as well before nodding. "Yeah."

Davis cleared his throat, obviously thinking as well. "I don't know, but it does change things, doesn't it?"

"She kissed him and nothing happened." Jason pointed out, knowing he didn't have to clarify who he was talking about. "There was no connection."

"Unlike with you?" Davis asked carefully. "Jace… is there still some enthrallment in you? Because, to be honest, you sound jealous."

"Don't be stupid," Jason grumbled, turning back around in time to see Chloe inside fixing the boy's collar. "I'm here on a job. Nothing else. I'm just saying that now that Pat's not around, Lex might decide that since circumstances are different… You know what? Never mind. When the time comes, the time comes." His gaze narrowed as the guy reached out and flicked Chloe's nose, making her laugh. He clenched his fist, feeling the anger and resentment curl in his stomach and knew he was lying to Davis shamelessly.

There was still some of the enthrallment in him, but it wasn't enough to control him. But it _was_ enough to make him aware of the Firstborn. And he knew he was looking at her now. He knew that Lana Lang wasn't the Firstborn, that Chloe Sullivan was, and knew he was betraying Lex and his whole damn Circle by not only not telling them what he knew, but by trying to keep her hidden from them. From Lex.

Maybe it was the enthrallment, maybe Davis was right. They'd heard about how the Firstborn Balcoin, if female, could bewitch other witches completely and indefinitely. They knew how dangerous she was. They knew she was a weapon. And yet Jason was going against his promise to his Circle mates without a second thought. There was something within him pushing to protect her, to keep her hidden, to keep her safe, to keep her his.

His mother and father would throw a fight if they knew that he was the Judas of the Circle.

"Just… be careful, okay?" Davis asked, reminding him abruptly that he was still talking to him.

"Sure." Jason nodded, eyeing those inside. "You too." And with that he hung up, clearing his throat as he entered the shop once more.

The boy was rolling his eyes at something Chloe was laughing at, both of them concentrating on a card the boy was filling out. "Are you telling me that Arkin does gooey shit like this for you?"

"Huh?" She looked up at the teen from where she was putting glittery heart stickers on the card.

"Greg Arkin? All leather and attitude?" Van waggled his eyebrows. "Your boy toy lover?"

For a moment Chloe looked at Van as if she was completely lost and then her eyes widened and her lips formed an "O" as if she'd finally gotten it. "Right."

"What? Forgot you got a boyfriend?" Van snorted, shaking his head. "You player."

Jason shucked his hands in his leather jacket.

So Arkin was in a relationship with Chloe… That hadn't come up in his little investigation.

How exactly had he missed that?

If anything, he'd suspected maybe she and the Quarterback were in a relationship given the amount of times he'd seen them in each other's company.

Chloe must have sensed Jason because she turned her head in his direction and smiled brightly. "Hey." She seemed to forget about the other guy, turning fully towards him. "I thought you'd left."

"Had to take the call." He shucked his hands in his pockets.

The guy looked between them, mumbled something about Arkin upping his game, and then slid the card across the counter to Chloe. "So you'll have it all ready by tomorrow?"

"Will you have a gift to her by tonight?" she countered, eyebrow raised. "I heard her talking to Charity about a golden necklace with her name on it in some shop in the Metropolis mall."

He groaned. "She stops and looks at it all the time."

"There you go!" Chloe clapped her hands in proclamation. "Get her that necklace and with these, everything will be perfect."

"If it does, you'll get a tip!" he proclaimed, turning and walking away, nodding his head to Jason before leaving.

Jason eyed him before turning to Chloe. "Classmate?"

"And friend." She nodded, pulling a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "His girlfriend is kinda high maintenance and he's very clueless."

Jason's lips twitched as he drew closer, feeling that near physical tug between them.

She licked her lips, pupils dilating slightly, visibly affected as well.

He'd noticed it before, when he'd purposely gone too close to her.

He'd wanted to gauge her reactions, her body, to try and figure out if she knew exactly who he was and what she'd done to him. Lex was sure that everything was done purposefully, and yet her reactions were just of a girl attracted to a boy. She didn't know that she'd enthralled him; that it was him at Crouch End. And while a part of him was resentful of that, the other was intrigued with the possibilities that presented themselves to him.

"I've been considering our little predicament," he declared, drawing closer to the counter. "And I was thinking about maybe a standing order for daily, fresh-cut flowers to be delivered to the manor. Different kinds every day, no matter their meaning; surprise me." He leaned on the counter, eyeing her. "A different color and type every day, to bring some color and life to that dead place."

She tilted her head as she listened to him intently. "How many are we talking about?"

"Fifty vases." He pulled a number out of the air.

Her greens widened in utter shock. "Fifty?"

"Too little?" he teased with seriousness. "A hundred then."

Her glossed lips opened and closed wordlessly.

Oh god, she was cute and adorable.

That wasn't fair.

"A hundred." Her voice cracked with her shock as she blinked, clearing her throat. Embarrassment colored her cheeks as she leaned over the counter as well, bringing their faces closer as she whispered, almost as if afraid to be overheard. "I don't know if we have enough to cover that big of an order."

He could only grin at her.

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"I don't see a gun," Moira declared as she emerged from the woodlands, wrapping the fur around her like a blanket as she stared at her husband. "So I suppose you don't intend to kill me tonight."

"You attacked Chloe," Gabe replied without any emotion, bathed in the darkness. "You must have known that I would retaliate to protect her."

"Ah yes, your precious little Balcoin blood charge." She nodded, leaning hard against a tree trunk. "Did it ever occur to you that I was protecting her as well?"

"By attacking and wounding her?" he snapped.

"I was trying to awaken her dark magic." she snapped back before making a face. "I hadn't realized it'd already happened."

He didn't answer, staring to the side.

She sighed, drawing closer. "If you're actually coming to me, you must know as do I, that John's dead."

A muscle jumped in his cheek, grief flashing through his eyes.

Moira stared up at the sky. "I know you loved him, Gabe."

"Didn't you?" he countered.

"Once, maybe. Until I found out that he was going to kill me and every other witch without Balcoin blood in them." She shrugged. "That he was going to use my daughter as a tool." She clenched her fist tightly. "That he bartered her away before her birth like some sort of possession to the highest bidder!" Her eyes flashed. "She belongs to the Luthor Circle for crying out loud, Gabriel! Belongs to them by blood oath!"

He flinched, looking away. "They don't know."

"The hell they don't." Moira sneered, shaking her head. "They're here in Smallville, Gabe. They know."

He closed his eyes, proving that he knew so as well. "I could take her away, hide her."

"That won't do any good." She shook her head. "The damage is already done. They know the Firstborn is here and they probably have a good idea it's her." Moira eyed the man she'd married and lived with for so many years. "You've raised that girl as if she was yours and protected her, even when I couldn't be there. And while I know you did it out of your love and devotion for John, I thank you."

He was silent, grave.

"But you know that you need my help now," she declared. "Chloe needs my help."

"You can't just think you can waltz back in as if you didn't abandon her for most of her life," he protested.

"That's exactly what I plan on doing," Moira announced, wrapping the fur around her tighter. "You can't protect and hide her from that Circle anymore; it's too late for that. What Chloe needs is to learn how to use her… unique abilities… to her favor." Her lips twitched. "With the right moves, she can use this to her advantage." A snort escaped her. "And if she's anything like her father, she'll possess the natural manipulative instinct that she'll need to pull this off."

Gabe frowned at her, obviously not happy with this and yet unable to say or do anything, knowing it was true.

He needed her.

Chloe needed her.

Moira smiled, raising her chin. "Mama's come home."

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"I feel like I'm betraying Jace." The guilt was obvious on Davis' face through the Skype connection. "But the way he's acting is off. I'm worried about him… worried he's been compromised."

Lex drummed his fingers as he stared at the man's face. "I know that Jason still has a bit of enthrallment in him, which was strengthened when the Firstborn kissed him once more in the High School."

"Then why isn't he in isolation until it is gone completely?" Davis asked, worried.

"Because as long as there's no more kissing, it'll leave him naturally. Also, with this enthrallment there's a connection to the Firstborn; a subconscious one that she might not even realize is there herself," Lex explained patiently. "With this connection, and thus Jason's actions, I'll be able to confirm my suspicions as to the identity of the Firstborn."

"So you're using him," Davis muttered, face betraying his disapproval. "This is dangerous, Lex. Female Firstborn Balcoins can completely bewitch-"

"Jason will be fine, the Firstborn is clearly untrained." And that made Lex even more intrigued because if she could do what she did instinctively, then exactly what could she do once she'd been taught? "He is being useful to me and I know that, should his mind be his own and not clouded by the enthrallment, he'd do this freely." Lex's lips twitched. "Soon we will have the Firstborn and the blood oath promised to our families by John Blackwell for our… favor… will be completed."

Davis was silent before clearing his throat. "How do you plan on proceeding once ownership of the Firstborn is secured?"

Lex eyed the man. "Now that there is a… vacancy… we could bind the Circle with her if she's bound to one of us… thus her power won't be an addiction to us as her father's was to our parents."

"We promised never to re-bind the Circle if one of ours died." Davis' eyes narrowed.

"We also never considered that the Firstborn would be a girl," Lex replied evenly. "The Balcoin bloodline seemed to have been cursed with pure males for centuries; she's the first one in a very long time. Neither our parents, nor us, accounted for that fact."

Davis lowered his gaze before looking up at him, pensive.

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"So, is this going to be a thing?" Whitney wanted to know, parked outside her house, having picked her up after practice. "Because when I walked in on you two, I felt like I stepped into some serious UST."

"Don't be ridiculous." Chloe scoffed before nibbling on her bottom lip. "You think he could be attracted to me?"

"It's not out of the realm of possibility." He shrugged. "You're not horrendous or anything."

She gave a little gasp, laughing as she slapped his shoulder.

Whitney chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll tell you right now, Clark won't approve."

"Clark never approves," she admitted.

Whitney snorted, obviously amused as he turned towards her, face slowly going serious. "Just be careful, okay? I still feel like there's something fishy with him and Luthor."

She nodded, smiling as she reached out and rested her hand on his. "If so, I'll have you to protect me."

He scoffed. "No way! If you get into trouble with him, you're on your own! I warned you and other than to say "I told you so" I won't pay any attention to the matter!"

She shook her head, knowing that despite his words, Whitney would help her.

They'd made that pact, hadn't they?

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt anyway." She shrugged, turning and grabbing the handle.

"Hey, I could hold my own against them!" Whitney cried out.

"Sure you can, darling," she tut as she slipped out of the truck, closing the door behind her.

He leaned over and stuck his head out of the passenger's side window. "I could so totally kick both of their asses."

She blew him a kiss.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

Laughing, amused, Chloe waved her fingers at him and made her way towards the front door. She reached into her bag, found the key and waved it at Whitney, who started the engine and drove away as she turned her key in the lock and opened it.

Entering the house, Chloe locked the door behind her and stretched. "Dad? I'm home!"

"Honey?" His voice echoed through the house. "Could you please come to the living room?"

"Is everything alright?" she asked, hearing an odd note in his voice as she made her way towards the living room. "If this is about me being a little late while still technically grounded I-"

And then Chloe stepped into the living room and froze.

Her father stood by the fire place, tension in his whole body despite the smile on his face… the one that didn't reach his eyes.

Moira Sullivan sat on the sofa, smiling at her as she stood, clasping her hands in front of her. "Hello Chloe."

Chloe dropped her bag, the sound reverberating off the deadly silent walls.

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TBC


	24. Family Matters

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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Chloe felt like a lamb corralled by a wolf... and then she remembered that her mother was an actual wolf and that just made the situation even worse. Her hand went to her neck, able to feel the healing, covered up bite marks throb with just her nerves as she took an immediate step away from the woman. What was she doing here? How could she show her face so conveniently after everything she'd done? Not only had she abandoned Chloe and her father for years without an explanation, but she'd let Chloe grow up into witchhood without any sort of guidance but Nell Potter for crying out loud! And on top of that all, she'd attacked her in wolf-form!

Moira's gaze went to her shoulder, sighing. "That was my attempt to awaken a part of you I thought was still sleeping; a part that you'd need to protect yourself with now that things have been set into motion."

Chloe's gaze went to her father and back, not exactly sure what to say with him there.

"He knows." Moira shocked the hell out of her. "Gabe knows everything; that we're witches, that I'm a wolf shifter. And that we've had a little altercation." Her smile was twisted. "He tried killing me for it."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock, unable to digest all this information at once, turning her confused gaze on him. "Daddy?"

He looked in pain, his eyes begging her to understand.

"He's not," Moira declared and when Chloe's gaze turned to her in confusion, she clarified very matter-of-factly. "Gabriel is not your father. He's your guardian. He married me on your father's command so he could be in a position to always protect you." Her gaze met Chloe's straight on. "You've met your father. Your real one."

It suddenly hit her, sending Chloe stumbling backwards into the wall. "He's not my uncle or cousin."

"No." Moira shook her head. "John's your father."

"So he's a Balcoin," Chloe whispered, closing her eyes and clenching her fists as she slid downwards to the floor in resignation. "He is where I get the Balcoin blood."

"How do you know that?" Gabe asked in shock, taking a step towards her.

Chloe couldn't look at him, fighting tears as she yanked off her fingerless gloves and held out her hands, showing them the symbol burnt into her palms. "It happened after the other day when everyone mysteriously began burning up." She licked her lips. "John had something to do with that, didn't he?"

"Yes." Gabe nodded. "He was protecting you."

"And working his own agenda. Stop trying to make him sound like an angel." Moira sent Gabriel a look before returning her blue gaze on Chloe. "John was trying to kill every witch in the world without Balcoin blood. He thought they were weak; that they were to blame for why we all had to hide in the shadows and not let humanity know about us; why we had to fear the Witch-Hunters." She stepped forward. "Also, considering his plans, it was convenient for every witch to be dead. That way he wouldn't have to make good on the pact he made all those years ago for support and lent power."

"Moira..." Gabriel growled.

"She needs to know, Gabe. You've kept her safe for this long and I applaud you for it but you can't keep her safe any longer," Moira cut in impatiently. "She needs to know the situation and she needs to prepare herself."

Chloe stared between them, feeling sick to her stomach. "What pact did he make?"

"Did John ever explain the importance of Firstborns?" Moira wanted to know.

Chloe's stomach rose in her throat immediately, hugging her knees to her chest. "He said that I was the Firstborn and that it's an important position of power."

"Especially if you're a Balcoin female." Moira nodded, coming closer and bending down in front of her daughter. "Chloe, the people he went to for help all those years ago knew this and for him to get what he needed – they asked for his Firstborn to be theirs."

Chloe's eyes widened, shaking her head, voice choking. "No."

"He agreed to it, Chloe," Moira whispered.

"He never meant to honor the agreement," Gabe snapped at the woman. "It's why he needed the witches dead."

"But they aren't dead," Moira snapped back at him. "And if Luthor and Teague are here, they have a good idea that the Firstborn is in Smallville."

"Jason?" Chloe whispered, shocked and trembling by now. "He's a part of this?"

"He's 'Jason' to you?" Gabe frowned, coming closer. "Chloe, have you disobeyed me? Have you been spending time with these boys?"

"No." She shook her head, wiping at the tears fogging her eyes. "He came to the store this evening and we talked. He wants flowers delivered daily – he was funny, nice." She brought her hand to her mouth. "He owns me?"

"No one owns you." Gabe came towards her, kneeling next to her mother as he brought his hand out and brushed away Chloe's tears. "No one. I'd kill them all before-"

"You have no power." Moira turned her gaze to him with a sigh. "But she does."

Chloe's eyes widened. "You want _me_ to kill them?"

"No." Moira shook her head. "I want _you_ to own _them_."

Chloe stared up at her mother in utter confusion and shock. "What? How?" She wiped at her eyes desperately before sitting up. "Is that even possible?"

"You're a Balcoin, the Firstborn and a woman. Those are three advantages you have right there." Moira's lips twitched slightly. "And I'm going to teach you what I've learned while I was gone. You're going to be fine." She raised her chin. "It's them who should be worried."

Chloe stared up at her mother, unsure what to think.

She'd always thought that her mother had left her because she didn't care – but this woman kneeling before her did seem to care. "I'm telling Whitney everything."

Gabe frowned. "I don't think-"

"I expected as much." Moira cut him off. "He knows most of it, doesn't he?"

"What?" Gabe turned to look at her in shock.

"She's found the Bleeding Caves, Gabe. The boy's been there with her multiple times already." Moira proved that she'd been keeping a closer eye on Chloe's activities than the blonde had anticipated. "And anyway, he broke away from Nell's Circle with her; they've bonded." She reached out and grabbed Chloe's hand, showing the mark there next to the Balcoin. The star. "She's started her own Circle and he's her first member."

Gabe eyed the star with wide eyes.

"It's – it's not a Circle-" Chloe tried to explain.

Moira turned her blues on her and smiled. "It will be."

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"Honey, you need to concentrate." Martha sighed as she stared at her son, who was proving horribly unsuccessful at the spell she was testing him with.

Clark's gaze was haunted as they turned to her. "I'm sorry, I just – I keep thinking about Lana and Pete and worrying about them and I can't concentrate. It almost feels wrong to do this without them, like I'm betraying the Circle by practicing alone."

Martha observed the boy silently for a couple of minutes. "Something else is bothering you."

Clark hunched over, clearly defeated, not even trying to do the spell anymore. "I think I'm losing Chloe to Whitney."

This was interesting. The redhead sat down next to Clark, resting her arm around his shoulders. "Honey, you and Chloe have been friends since you were small and you're used to not having to share her with anyone other than Pete. You need to understand that just because she's also becoming friends with Whitney doesn't mean that you're losing her to him. You're just worried about Pete and it's making you sensitive."

"You don't get it; they're always together, like we used to be." Clark's gaze was on the floor. "Ever since Pete and I ignored her because of Nell, our friendship hasn't been the same. I don't think she really forgave us. I don't think she will." He cleared his throat. "I think she's replaced us with Whitney and Van. Even Greg seems to get more time with her than I do and this is Greg. He's not very personable."

Martha could see that her boy was in true pain and she couldn't help but feel somewhat depressed for him. She knew that sometimes friends outgrew each other and hoped to all that was holy that this wasn't the situation for what had once been the three musketeers. "Have you told her this?"

Clark shrugged, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should," she advised, knowing that bottling things up would only make it worse. "She needs to hear this."

Clark stared ahead of him. "She won't even bind the Circle, mom. It's like the very thought of being bound to us eternally gives her the heebie jeebies." He shook his head. "I feel differently. I mean, the idea of being bound to my best friends forever seems so… right. So if she doesn't see things that way then…"

"Clark…" Martha sighed, pressing a kiss to his head. "Binding a Circle is a serious deal. She's right to think it over."

"But you guys bound your Circle," Clark protested.

"I know, but we knew what it meant; everything."

"You already told me that I won't be able to use solo magic." Clark frowned. "I can deal with that if it means those I love are safer."

"It's still a lot to give up, Clark; a lot to ask someone else to give up," she reminded him softly. "You've got to give Chloe time and if she decides not to be bound, then you're going to have to respect her decision."

He was silent, staring ahead of him.

It broke her heart to see him in pain like this. "Why don't you invite Chloe over this week for dinner. Afterwards, you two can go to the loft and talk, really talk, like you two need to." She gave his arm a squeeze. "And don't come out until you're two of the three musketeers again."

Clark's lips twitched slightly. "Okay. I'll text her."

"Good boy." Martha smiled at him, coaxing his smile brighter until he was grinning.

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"So let me get this straight." Whitney lay on her bed on his side, eyeing her oddly, his golden locks falling into his face. "This John guy is actually your biological father and was the last Balcoin, a long and strong line of extremely dark witches. You're the Firstborn and, according to Gabriel, John told him he had five other kids, so you have half brothers and sisters. Two of whom you know of for sure are from the Chance Harbor Circle, which was the Circle that got hit by the Witch-Hunters." As she nodded he continued. "Your mom's here and apparently on your side and your dad isn't actually your dad but from a long line of dudes who serve and protect your real dad's family." He licked his lips. "And to top things off, your biological father – who was a total douche, by the way – is not only dead, but also tried to kill me and the other witches because he sold you before you were even born but didn't want to go through with the payment because he supposedly had other plans for you. Also, Luthor and Teague are here because they realize the Firstborn is here and they're trying to collect the Balcoin their families were promised or something like that. But your mother says that as a Balcoin Firstborn female you can bewitch other witches and she wants to teach you how to do that so that you can turn the tables on the other guys and keep yourself free?"

"That's about right." Chloe nodded, sitting Indian Style, hugging a pillow to her chest as she eyed him. "I'm freaking out right now."

"Don't blame you," he admitted, turning to lie on his back as he stared at the ceiling. "I'm kinda there with you and it's not happening to me."

With a sigh, Chloe turned and threw herself down on the bed next to him, staring up at the ceiling. "Nothing I thought was real about myself is." She turned her head towards him. "I have siblings. Dad says John told him that he had three daughters and three sons – I have brothers and sisters."

Whitney turned his head towards her. "And here you liked being an only child."

She closed her eyes and cringed. "I feel like screaming and crying."

"Or drinking something stiff," Whitney muttered. "This is definitely a "get horribly drunk" moment."

"At least this explains what happened those two times I kissed guys while I was in trouble." Chloe forced her eyes open. "The pink mist entering them from me? I was unconsciously bewitching them to protect myself."

"That was why the guy who kidnapped you was driving you away from where the others were being taken," Whitney whispered. "He was protecting you."

Chloe let out a little sound, staring at the ceiling. "If you want to start avoiding me, I wouldn't hold it against you."

There was a moment of silence as Whitney took in a deep breath, reaching his hand up and resting it on the crown of her head.

She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth growing in the star etched on her palm as she leaned into the touch, accepting his awkward comfort.

"You know, it's kinda funny that you'll tell me all this – and yet you won't tell me about the fact that you're spying on Coach Arnold," Whitney mumbled softly. "Makes me feel very conflicted."

Her eyes widened and she tilted her gaze up to meet his. "You know?"

He sighed. "I had my suspicions." The Quarterback shook his head at her. "Which of the boys gave up the information?"

"Who said that I didn't do it because of what you told me?" Chloe tried.

He saw right through her. "It was Trev, huh? After hearing the others talk about maybe telling you, he went really silent."

She flinched and looked away.

"Look, I understand that you're trying to protect your source, but Chloe, this is a volatile witch we're talking about here." Whitney frowned at her. "Why deal with this solo when you've got a man on the inside?"

Her eyes widened. "I wasn't going to ask you to go against your team and coach."

"My team is the reason why I'm doing this," Whitney replied, expression grave. "They're getting hurt more and more. Coach is losing his patience and control worse and worse and if he isn't stopped, he's going to seriously hurt one of them soon."

"I'm going to blackmail him, Whitney," she admitted outright. "I don't want you involved with this. I don't want him even thinking about taking anything out on you."

"But him taking out his pissy attitude on you is okay?" Whitney snapped, sitting up. "I know this man! You don't! Just because you have some pictures doesn't mean-"

"I said no." She sat up as well, narrowing her greens on his blues.

"I'm the guy here!" Whitney's eyes flashed with his anger. "You don't protect me!"

"Well tough luck!" Her own eyes flashed, the bed beginning to tremble slightly beneath them. "You're the only person who I can confide in, who I've told everything to, who has my back." She reached out and grabbed his shirt, yanking him close to her as she glared into his flashing orbs. "I'm not going to put you in unnecessary danger."

Whitney's orbs stopped flashing, a loud breath escaping his lips. "We'd never work out as a couple, would we?"

Her own eyes stopped flashing, the girl still holding him close by his shirt, confusion on her features. "Huh?"

"You and me." Whitney made a face. "We'd never work as a couple."

She let go of him, still confused. "How do you figure that?"

"Well, we're attracted to each other," he muttered, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. "But what-"

"Who says I'm attracted to you?" she denied, but knew that it was very much see-through.

"-we're becoming would be way too messy if we involved attraction," Whitney continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. "Especially given the fact that you can't control yet when your kiss enthralls a guy and when it doesn't."

"I didn't enthrall you when you kissed me," she reminded.

"Yeah, but you also say you don't think you enthralled that first guy you kissed in that nightclub either," Whitney pointed out. "Means that when it's against your will, it doesn't happen. The thrall can't be forced." He eyed her. "But when you kissed those two guys-"

Chloe's eyes widened. "You think I might enthrall those I _want_ to kiss."

"When we're attracted to someone, don't we instinctually want to possess them?" Whitney asked softly. "Want to own every bit of them and make them only ours?"

"Oh my god." Chloe brought her hands to her mouth, horrified. "I'm never going to be able to have a normal boyfriend without being terrified that he's only with me because I've magically roofed him into it!"

"Also, I would like to point out that that if you willingly kissed Teague and tried helping him during that spell from your douchebag dad…then you might have already unknowingly enthralled him a little," Whitney pointed out.

She collapsed backwards onto the bed, swallowing hard. "And here I thought a guy finally found me somewhat attractive." Bringing her hand to rest over her eyes, Chloe sniffled. "Damn it!"

Whitney sighed, laying back down and wrapping an arm around her as he pulled her body into his, resting his chin on the crown of her head.

Chloe clutched at him and was immensely grateful when he just let her hide her face in his shirt and cry.

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Moira and Gabe leaned against the girl's bedroom, the two silent as they heard the unmistakable sound of crying. Neither looked at the other, one gazing at the ceiling and the other at the floor, neither speaking nor pushing away from their spot. The witch had known there'd be no hanky-panky behind closed doors, but Gabe was unable to get past his fatherly instincts though and she'd followed him up to spy just to prove her point. A wry smile curved her lips as she hugged herself, shaking her head. Gabe mightn't be Chloe's true father, but she knew that he was the best father Chloe could have had; it was one of the reasons she'd been able to leave her daughter the way she had for so long. Now she was paying for it, but it was worth it; it would be worth it. It would. And now that she was back, things were going to be different.

"You don't look as if you've aged a day," Gabe finally spoke, voice soft so as not to carry to the teens in the room.

Moira's hand rose to her face almost instinctively before lowering quickly. "Side effect of staying in the wolf's form for so long."

He nodded before sending the door a little look. "Does Chloe-?"

"Have the shifting gene?" Moira had always been able to finish his sentences. She shook her head. "I don't think so." She leaned her head hard against the door. "She seems to have taken completely after John."

A small smile tilted his lips.

Moira sighed, shaking her head. "That's not a good thing, Gabe."

His gaze slid to her, lips thinning to a terse line.

"It isn't and you know it," Moira hissed softly at him so that her voice didn't carry to those inside. "You know instability and many times insanity have been a part of the Balcoin heritage. Francis Balcoin was one of the evilest, most mentally unstable men ever known. It's the dark magic; sometimes it's too much for the mind to be able to control; it corrupts your senses, dilutes your morals." Her eyes narrowed. "It's a curse to have that blood in your veins."

"Says the woman who once wanted to marry John and give him all the children he wanted," Gabe hissed back, defensive. "Your words just sound like those of a woman scorned and it's not a good look on you."

"I know you loved him, Gabe, but John wasn't a good person, something I realized all too late. I'd already doomed my daughter." Moira reached out and grabbed his arm, fingers slightly claw like as her anger betrayed a bit of her wolf. "It's why I left. I realized what I'd done to her and I knew that I couldn't help her if I stayed with her. I needed to study, to understand things and I needed to understand the Balcoins better."

"So you're an expert on Balcoins now?" He sneered.

"I've studied their history from the first Balcoin ever to John." Moira nodded slowly. "I've gone to the sites of the places they decimated with their dark rituals, where nothing grows even hundreds of years later. I've walked through the fields where they battled and shed the blood of anyone who tried to oppose them. I've visited the villages that'd once had thriving communities of witches before they were massacred to take their powers." Her fists clenched. "I've journeyed through the Halls of Thrall."

Gabe looked up at that, eyes widening slightly.

"Believe me, I mightn't have realized what I was getting my child involved with at first, but I'm not that ignorant sixteen year old girl he knocked up anymore," Moira hissed. "Now I know the evil that will try and claim her; that's in her blood, I know how to help her fight it… and the impulses it'll give her."

"You need to stop making it sound like some horrible curse, some infirmity." Gabe yanked his arm out of her grip, not even flinching when her claws accidentally scratched him in the process. "And you're going to have to get used to it. John had six children, six. Even if his own dreams and plans for them don't come true, they're alive and will flourish. Even in death, he's victorious against everyone who was his enemy. Thanks to him and his efforts, the Balcoin family is going to be strong again after its near extinction by scared and prejudiced witches like you." He narrowed his eyes furiously. "And this time, no one will be able to cut them down; especially not once their dark magic is activated." He shook his head at her in obvious disgust. "Chloe's the Firstborn Balcoin, the natural leader of her siblings, and possessive of the purest of the Balcoin blood because of it. And once her other siblings activate their dark magic, they're going to connect to her, just like every Balcoin with active dark magic has ever since the first Balcoin. No matter what you do or say, she's going to be all that she's supposed to be. She's going to issue in a new age for the Balcoins in which they don't have to hide in fear again." He stepped closer. "That girl is brilliant, she's sweet and beautiful and kind and if she puts her mind to it, nothing will stand in her way. And if you truly care for her like you want us to believe, then there's going to come a point in this where you're going to have to put away your hurt teenaged heart and just help her become the Matriarch she already is."

Moira eyed him in silence.

Gabe shook his head at her in disgust and stormed away.

Moira sighed, leaning hard against the door, watching him leave before closing her eyes tightly. "That's what I'm scared of."

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"Flowers." Lex eyed Jason with a raised eyebrow before eyeing the bouquet the guy was placing in a vase in the library.

Jason nodded, fixing the arrangement with a smirk before turning to look at him. "I've figured a way to get an 'in' with the Circle here."

This was going to be interesting. "By buying flowers."

"No." Jason rolled his eyes, collapsing on the couch next to the table the flowers were decorating. "By getting close to the girl who is selling the flowers."

Lex leaned hard against the wall, eyeing the other guy silently. "Is that so?"

"Since Nell Potter and Lana Lang have disappeared, I figured that the Circle is vulnerable and what better way in than to use my incredibly good looks on the remaining female in the Circle?" Jason reached up and plucked a flower from the vase, bringing it to his chest as his fingers caressed the petals. "She's my way into the Circle."

"She's sixteen; that's legal in Kansas but I'm sure that's going to be frowned on."

"I said I was going to get close to her. Who said I'd be doing anything that would be frowned upon? Anyway, she's turning seventeen soon," Jason declared with a shrug. "I'm only two years older."

Lex fought reacting to that.

Seventeen.

The girl was going to be seventeen.

Cassie Blake had only just turned sixteen a couple of months back.

Diana Meade was basically around the same age as well.

He still needed to search Lana Lang's records more thoroughly, but he was almost positive that Chloe Sullivan was the oldest of the group by a couple of months. Still, it could be Lana Lang – it could be. She would still be older than Cassie and Diana. Everything seemed to point directly to Lana being the Firstborn. Everything but Jason.

If Lana was truly the Firstborn, considering that Jason still had traces of the enthrallment in him no matter how faint, he'd be reacting. Hadn't the guy been on edge ever since he'd gotten out of the quarantine room? Even once in Smallville, he'd been snappy, cracking his knuckles so many times that Lex had begun to wonder if they were going to break off any second. Like Davis, Jason was a good soldier, not as mouthy as Oliver and yet not as quiet as Davis. He was the perfect general and Lex had been somewhat unnerved to see him this way.

He'd hoped that getting to the high school would help but Jason had lapsed into stony silence, narrowed eyes and he'd taken to scratching his arm.

And then the illness had taken over and by the next time Lex had seen him, everything had been fine.

And while Jason had eyed Lana slowly, his gaze had followed Chloe around faithfully ever since.

Lex cleared his throat, refusing to show his emotions as he eyed Jason, who was still staring at that flower. "I still want you in that school."

"About that…" Jason nodded, finally looking up. "I've figured something out."

Lex eyed his greatest secret weapon against the Firstborn, his lips slowly curling in a sly smile. "Do share."

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_ A blonde was lying in bed, sleeping, her two palms scarred with the Balcoin symbol. Green eyes suddenly opened and she sat up, reaching for the brunette with one of those scarred hands. "Di…"_

Diana woke up with a cry, her own scarred palm tingling as she brought it to her racing heart.

Chloe.

That had to be her sister Chloe, the one that Cassie had been seeing for a while now. But why was Diana seeing her now?

Was it because her dark magic was active?

"Did I wake you?" Grant asked as he opened her door and peered in.

"Where are we?" Diana asked sleepily, rubbing at her dark eyes, instinctively hiding her scarred palm.

"An inn. I'm too tired to keep driving." He gave her a little smile, unbuckling her seat belt and helping her out. "I already paid for our room, number 6. Our luggage is inside as well."

She yawned, stumbling out of the car before watching him lock it behind her. "Where exactly are we?"

"Just some little town in the middle of nowhere," he replied, arm going around her to lead the brunette towards the room.

"Does this little town have a name, Captain Vague?" She brought her hand to her mouth as she yawned.

"Smallville," Grant finally admitted as he led her through the open door into the room. "We're in Smallville."

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**TBC**


	25. PART TWO: Diana Meade

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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A part of Chloe wanted to stay home and not go to school and she was sure that her father (he _was_ her father, damn it!) wouldn't have said anything if she had, but Chloe would have had to spend the day with Moira and she couldn't handle that. Not for right now, at least. And so she was outside waiting for Whitney when he pulled up in his truck, not seeming at all surprised to see her waiting for him for the first time. He just leaned over and opened the door for her, not mentioning it as she slid in and closed it, the Quarterback pulling out of the Sullivan's driveway and into the traffic.

"People are already talking about her being back," Whitney mumbled as he changed gear, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "They saw her and Gabe last night and news is flying over town."

Chloe flinched, slouching in her seat. "I'm going to have to think of something to tell Van. He knows that she can shift into a wolf... and that she attacked me."

"I wish he didn't," Whitney admitted tersely. "He's a loose canon."

"He's fine," Chloe defended.

"Greg said he wanted to hunt the thing." Whitney sent her a look. "He's apparently a good shot and has a stash of weapons. Excuse me for not feeling all too safe with him, all things considering."

"He warned me about her – if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know what she was or that she and Nell were working together." Chloe frowned, glaring at Whitney. "I trust him."

"Well I don't," Whitney countered.

"Tough," she grumbled before gasping, bringing her hand to her chest as power speared through her like the outer waves of a ripple. "Stop."

"What happened?" Whitney quickly pulled off of the road and into the parking lot of Smallville's only motel. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Chloe's gaze traced the source of the hectic, terrified, familiar power towards at the rooms. "You don't feel that?"

"Feel what?" he stressed, obviously not feeling it.

"Something's not right," she whispered, undoing her belt buckle and opening the door in time for one of the motel doors to fly open and a beautiful brunette to stumble out, pale and wide-eyed.

"HELP!" the brunette yelled. "Someone, please help!"

Chloe was already racing towards the girl, eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"It's my boyfriend, he-!" The girl looked up at her and then froze, her eyes widening in horror and shock. "_It can't be_."

Whitney was by Chloe's side in a second before dashing inside of the room the girl had come out from.

"What happened?" Chloe wondered why this girl looked so familiar somehow; why she felt familiar, when Chloe knew that she'd never seen her before. "Are you hurt?"

"_You_," the brunette whispered, bringing her hand to her forehead before narrowing her eyes on Chloe. "Is this your doing? Did _you_ do this to him?"

"What?" Chloe couldn't have been more shocked if she'd been slapped. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Chloe!" Whitney yelled from inside.

Giving the near hysterical girl one last look, Chloe rushed into the room, finding a blonde boy on the ground, pale as death, trembling.

Whitney leaned over him. "His pupils are dilated and he's paralyzed... but trembling... and his heartbeat is slowing." He looked up when the other girl entered the room. "Before this happened, was he ill?"

"No, he – he just said he was dizzy!" she stammered.

Whitney narrowed his eyes as he pulled out his cell phone, dialing 911.

Chloe knelt down by the guy, eyes narrowed at his outstretched hand which seemed almost to point under the bed. She leaned down and stared under the darkness there before noticing a vial. The blonde reached under and strained trying to reach it before her fingers finally curled around the bottle and pulled it out. She brought it to her nose and took a whiff, making a face as she turned her head away from it. "Whitney?"

"Just get here now!" Whitney snapped at the emergency operator before shutting off the phone and turning to Chloe. "What?"

"Smell this. He was pointing to it." She passed it to the Quaterback.

Whitney gave her a look before reaching for the vial and bringing it to his nose, giving it a tentative sniff before his eyes widened. "Oh, you can't be serious!"

"What?" the brunette asked, coming closer. "What is it?"

"A mixture that strongly features conium maculatum," Whitney hissed, giving Chloe the vial back before snarling down at the guy. "Why the hell would you take this?" He stood up, pacing, before turning the brunette. "Did you fucking do this to him?"

"No! I swear!" The girl looked near tears. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Who is GH?" Chloe asked, staring at the engraving on the bottom of the vial.

"Him." She pointed. "Grant Hardy."

"This is his." Chloe stared up at Whitney.

"The fuck would he take this?" Whitney stared down at the boy. "If he has this then he knows that if the ambulance doesn't get to him in time, he's going to die from respiratory failure."

"What is in it?" The brunette drew closer.

"Conium maculatum," Whitney repeated, agitation in his every feature. "Better known as hemlock."

"He has hemlock poisoning?" Chloe whispered in shock. "People still do that?"

"Hemlock poisoning?" The girl dropped to her knees in shock. "What – how–?"

The sound of sirens could be heard approaching in the distance.

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Clark looked around the parking lot as the first bell rang. Greg was obviously skipping today, and while that wasn't a big deal, apparently Whitney and Chloe had decided to do so as well. Neither of their cars were in the parking lot and, given the fact that Whitney didn't seem to think that Chloe should ever drive her car ever again apparently, well, it made more sense lately to just look for Whitney's truck instead of her car.

Resentment and disappointment rose in his throat. The boy had wanted to personally ask Chloe to dinner at his parents' today; had wanted to start doing something to try and salvage what little relationship they had left.

"How does it feel?" someone asked darkly from behind him.

Clark turned to see Tina Greer there, eyeing him with a sneer. "How does what feel?"

"Being replaced," she delivered cruelly before turning and leaving, hugging her books to her chest.

Clark watched her leave, gulping down the bile lodged in his throat. "I'm not being replaced." He turned to look back at the parking lot. "I'm not."

Sigh escaping his lips, Clark lowered his head and trudged slowly towards the school building.

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The doctors had wheeled Grant into the emergency unit and Diana hadn't seen him since, but to be terribly honest, while she was worried about him, his health wasn't what was foremost in her mind. One, he'd apparently done this to himself, and two... her sister was here. At first, she'd reacted badly to her. Diana realized that blaming the girl hadn't been the nicest move on her part, but Chloe was a Balcoin and Diana already knew two Balcoins... both highly unstable thanks to their dark magic. Sue her for automatically blaming the dark witch in the midst!

But... she supposed she was now a dark witch too thanks to Cassie... and it bugged Diana, realizing that she didn't have the right to be judgmental anymore.

She was one of them.

The brunette hugged herself tightly, sending a little look in the blonde's direction.

Chloe and Whitney, as they'd called each other, were talking in the corner, apparently arguing.

Diana wondered if Whitney was one of the members of the Circle Cassie had seen Chloe belonging to. Maybe they were a couple. Maybe liking blonde boys was a Balcoin thing, because while Adam wasn't blonde both Jake and Grant were.

She scratched her arm nervously, trying to stave off her oncoming nervous breakdown.

Chloe wasn't the one behind all of this. If anything, she was the most in the dark. Diana had felt her trying to stop the curse when Diana's own dark magic had been activated. Chloe hadn't been working along with John. At least not intentionally.

And it brought many other questions to Diana, like why Grant had brought her here, why poison himself – and why with hemlock of all things?

It almost felt like this had all been on purpose so that she'd meet Chloe – and yet how could he have known that Chloe would be outside when Diana needed her?

It made no sense!

Diana's dark gaze went to Chloe's palms, which the blonde was scratching nervously. The brunette could feel her own symbol tingling, had been since this morning, and wondered if it was because they were close to each other. Chloe had hers covered, wearing a long-sleeved shirt whose sleeves had a hole for her thumb to stick out of thus basically covering everything up to her knuckles. Diana couldn't see the Balcoin symbol there, but she could feel it... And from the way Chloe sent her confused looks while scratching at her palms she figured Chloe could feel hers too.

"I'll be fine," Chloe promised Whitney, hand on his arm, giving him a little smile. "Go."

He sent a distrustful glance at Diana from over Chloe's head, obviously protective of the blonde, before returning his blues to her greens and nodding. "Stay in touch."

"Go." She let out a little chuckle, giving him a push and watching him stride away before the smile fell and she hugged herself much like Diana was, turning towards her.

Diana could sense the same questions, the same insecurities and confusion in this girl and for the first time in a very long time, she felt someone kindred.

Chloe came towards her, giving her an uneasy smile. "So, we never introduced ourselves." She reached out a hand. "I'm Chloe Sullivan."

Diana gulped, sensing the test beneath this action, hesitating for quite a bit before reaching out and placing her hand into Chloe's, squeezing tight. "Diana Meade."

Sparks visibly shot from their touch and Diana didn't know how Chloe's magic reacted, but her own dark magic roared almost in victory within her, bathing her whole body with electric tingles and making ever inch of her hyper aware. She calmed down almost involuntarily; that fear and need to run that she'd experienced ever since Cassie had forced her dark magic to activate – it all disappeared into calm serenity; into peace, into something right.

Chloe's eyes rose to hers and the pupils seemed to dilate, the black enlarging as Diana could feel her own eyes tingling, knowing that Chloe was just as at fault for whatever was happening to them as she was.

A shiver raced down their spines nearly simultaneously, Chloe's pupils returning to normal as she gave a little shudder, eyeing Diana. "So, I'm guessing you're one of my sisters."

Diana nodded as their hands slipped from the hold to fall at their sides. "You know everything then."

"Just found out everything last night, actually," Chloe admitted, hugging herself. "And I'm still trying to digest the fact that I have two sisters I don't know and three brothers – one who might be my best friend, whose crazy family basically kidnapped him because of what happened the other day. They think John's going to come after him."

Diana hugged herself once more as well. "He won't."

"Because he's dead." Chloe surprised her.

"How did you-?"

"My mother and father mightn't agree on much, but they are both sure that the only way everyone is still alive is because John isn't." She gulped. "Because someone reversed the curse onto him."

John's death at her and Cassies' hands flashed before her dark eyes, the brunette hugging herself tighter. "He was trying to kill other witches. He had to be stopped."

Chloe nodded, looking a little conflicted. "I've been told about his ultimate plan – the Balcoin Circle – but I can't believe that the man I met is the same one who was willing to kill millions of innocent people... no matter the reason."

There was silence as they gazed around them before finally Diana spoke. "So, does your Circle know?"

"I'm not a part of a Circle," Chloe replied, shocking the brunette more and more with each word she spoke. "There _is_ a Circle here and from my mother's side I'm supposed to be a part of it, but I've decided that Circle life isn't for me." She gave a little shrug. "Whitney and I left it and we've been doing well on our own."

"Your boyfriend left for you?" Diana felt envious.

"Whitney's not my boyfriend." Chloe snorted. "I'm not exactly sure what he is, but boyfriend definitely isn't it."

"Why did you decide not to bind the Circle?" Diana asked in intrigue, allowing herself to forget about Grant and her own troubles for a moment.

"Lack of solo magic, for one-" Chloe began.

"That wouldn't affect you," Diana interrupted, clearing her throat. "Cassie, our – our other sister – she was bound to our Circle but was able to use solo magic because she wasn't using normal Circle magic, but dark magic."

"Cassie." Chloe's eyes narrowed as she brought her hand to her head. "I think I've dreamt about a Cassie."

"And she dreamt about you." Diana cleared her throat, nodding.

"Where is she now?" Chloe asked, the shorter girl looking up at her.

"Chance Harbor – with the rest of my old Circle." Diana felt a stab of both nostalgia and horror at the thought of what had once been home and sanctuary for her, but now only held horrible memories. There were too many deaths and too much darkness in Chance Harbor. "I-I left."

Chloe looked like she wanted to ask more but seemed to realize it wasn't the time, nodding. "Look, it's going to take a while before the doctors can tell us something. I'm almost shocked that they haven't sent him to the hospital in Metropolis... But would you like something to eat? There's a little cafe not too far from here that serves decent breakfast and we can talk." She rubbed her hands together nervously. "Afterwards, we can come back here and wait for the doctors to tell us what exactly is going on with him."

Diana knew that she shouldn't leave Grant's side; that she should have to be dragged away kicking and screaming, and yet she nodded, giving Chloe a little smile. "Thank you."

Chloe returned the small smile before beginning to lead her away.

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"Can't you just, I don't know, stop?"

Well, he supposed this was better than complete silence but as Greg stared at his mother, he had to take his time and force himself from asking her if she was seriously that – that – _stupid_. He didn't say it though, because this was the first time that his mother had actually sat down with him since discovering what he was and he wasn't going to discourage whatever this was. So instead of flat out telling her that that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard, the boy only shook his head and tried a more diplomatic approach. "Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to stop?"

"But why?" she asked, apparently completely bewildered. "It's abnormal. Aren't you worried that people will find out and make fun of you?"

"They were already making fun of me before. I didn't care then and I wouldn't care now," he replied truthfully, eyeing his nails, which were painted black. "My powers awakening are the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't stop using them for the world."

His mother eyed him thoughtfully, mouth twisted slightly, betraying that she was wondering how to word something. "I still can't believe your father never thought it important to let me know he was a warlock."

"Witch, mom," Greg corrected. "Warlock is only if you've been banished from the magical community for something you've done. It's an insult."

"Oh." She twisted her mouth once more. "But I thought witches were only women."

"Big misconception." He shook his head. "The word "witches" is like the word "people"... can mean either gender."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation." She brought her hand to her face. "My son, Gregorius the Teenaged Witch."

"You let dad name me Gregorius, what did you expect?" Just to spite her he wiggled his nose.

Surprisingly enough, her lips twitched in reluctant amusement. "You're too cheeky for your own good, young man."

Greg gave her his first genuine smile in a long time. "Yet another thing I apparently inherited from dad."

His mother sighed, shaking her head. "Next time I go to your dad's grave, he's gonna hear an ear-full from me."

Things weren't great, but they were finally starting to look up, and so while his mother was promising to complain about him to his dead dad, Greg found himself chuckling, grin wide.

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Chloe could tell that Diana was being vague on purpose about John's death, but she figured that it was a traumatic experience and left it at that. Honestly, she didn't know exactly how to feel about his death. A part of her felt really sad, as if she'd lost something extremely important in her life, and yet with everything she was learning about John, he didn't seem like the best person to have around. Especially not with the dark magic in her veins. John was charismatic, enthralling, and she from what she'd heard from both Diana and Moira, he was a master manipulator. Chloe couldn't blame Cassie for falling for his lies; hadn't she done the same thing? Maybe their dark magic made them more susceptible to the patriarch of their clan…

She didn't know.

"So, why Smallville?" she finally asked, drinking a sip of her coffee. "Why come through here? If you were running away from Chance Harbor and the memories you have there, then why come through Smallville at all? It seems really out of the way."

"I didn't plan anything, Grant always drove." Diana nibbled on her thumbnail. "Adding the fact that hemlock is a magical poison… I don't want to talk bad about him when he's fighting for his life, but coming here of all places, where you are..."

"You think he might have done it on purpose?" Chloe frowned, eyeing the beautiful girl.

"Maybe." She shrugged, looking loathed to admit it. "Maybe he was working with John. Maybe he brought me here because you were here. John wanted there to be a Circle of Balcoins... maybe this was his contingency plan.

That was an intriguing idea. "Yeah, but Cassie's there, and let's be honest, you and I are sisters but we don't have any sort of bond. You and she had a friendship before you ever discovered that you shared blood." Chloe leaned forwards. "So why take you from the sister you have a bond with and bring you to one who is a total stranger?"

"I wanted to run away, to get away," Diana replied softly. "I wouldn't have stayed even if Grant wasn't involved."

Chloe watched the girl, saw the haunted look darken her features, and sighed, reaching over to squeeze her hand, feeling the jolt once more at their touch. "Well, even though it's been under undesirable circumstances, I'm glad I got to meet you."

Diana eyed her before a little smile tilted her lips, squeezing back, warmth filling Chloe from their joined hands. "Thank you. I'm glad to have met you too."

"Miss Sullivan," a voice declared behind her. "Imagine running into you here on a school day."

Chloe froze, recognizing that voice, doing her best to push back the momentary terror she felt now that she knew the truth about him and why he was there. She looked up at Diana, and those dark eyes were narrowed on her face, as if through their joined hands she could sense the terror and fear. Diana squeezed her hand tighter, obviously not understanding what was going on, but lending her support.

Giving her sister a little smile, Chloe forced herself to relax as she let go of Diana's hand and turned to smile up at their breakfast crasher. "Mr Luthor."

"Please, call me Lex." He gave her a charming smile, his gaze going to Diana and he cleared his throat before returning that smile on her. "I don't think I've met your friend."

Chloe kept her smile on her face as she turned to the brunette. "Diana, this is my father's boss, Lex Luthor."

Diana gave him a little nod of the head. "Nice to meet you."

"Lex..." Chloe returned her gaze to the handsome, bald young man. "This is my sister, Diana Meade."

Shock did not register, Lex's lips only curved slightly as if something he'd already known as fact was confirmed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Meade." He turned his attention on Chloe. "Jason's told me that we have you to thank for the flowers bringing some life to the manor."

"It's really all him." Chloe just kept smiling at him, knowing her parents would be pissed at her for having confirmed who she was to "the enemy", but this was her life and her gamble and she was going to do this her way. "I also wanted to apologize for not being able to get back to your phone calls, but it's been hectic."

"Jason informed me." Lex nodded his head. "Apparently you've taken over Potter's Potts on top of your other responsibilities."

"Temporarily," she replied easily. "But this weekend I have some time to come over and talk about the Wall of Weird with you, if you have free time."

His smile curled further. "I'd love that. How does Saturday sound?"

"Perfect. I work half-day in the mornings but anytime after twelve would be fine with me."

Lex nodded, pleasure and satisfaction mixing in his eyes. "Please, have lunch with us if that is the case." He sent a small smile to Diana. "Feel free to come as well."

She gave a little nod and yet never responded, her eyes dark and distrustful on him despite the half smile on her glossed lips.

"I'll have a car come pick you up at twelve and bring you to the Manor." He returned his gaze upon Chloe and reached his hand out. "Is it a deal?"

Chloe eyed his hand for a second before licking her lips and raising her hand, placing it in his, his fingers grazing across the symbol hidden there by her fingerless gloves, causing tingles of magic to erupt between them. "It's a date."

His smile grew as he lifted her hand to his lips, bending somewhat to kiss the back of her palm, before nodding to her and Diana and leaving.

Chloe brought her tingling hand to her heart, watching him go.

Diana raised an eyebrow, highly unimpressed as she took a sip of her coffee. "Who's Prince Smarmy?"

Chloe watched Lex slip into his Ferrari, annoyed at how her heart had actually skipped a beat at that gesture of his. "That's one of my owners."

"What?" Diana's eyes widened in horror and turned to her. "What do you mean owners?"

"As in he – or his family – and some other families own me," Chloe replied, watching Lex drive away before finally turning her greens on Diana. "One of the reasons John Blackwell tried to kill the other witches was because, before I was born, he bartered me away to those families in exchange for some sort of favor. He got what he wanted out of them but didn't want to live up to his part of the deal: me." She gave a little shrug, licking her lips as she looked away. "Since he failed, his deal is still in place, and it's really just a matter of time before they use whatever magical power they have over me to pull me in line."

Diana's chest heaved with her erratic breath, eyes wide in utter horror. "I didn't know." She reached over and grabbed Chloe's hand in near desperation. "_We didn't know_."

"How could you?" Chloe asked softly, giving her sister a sad little smile. "I'm going to fight it. I never made that pact; never agreed to belong to anyone. And I'm not going to go down without a fight."

Instead of looking assuaged, Diana let go of Chloe's hand and leaned hard against her seat, her features haunted as she stared unseeingly at her cup of coffee.

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Whitney had come back from phoning Chloe's dad with the news that one of Chloe's sisters had made it to Smallville, and when Gabe hadn't seemed surprised, Whitney was more and more certain that this wasn't a coincidence. Chloe's dead dad was still somehow working things even from the afterlife and that pissed Whitney off. He felt like he was beginning to live in constant anger. Every day something else happened to make him angrier and angrier, his frustration growing, and he wondered if situations like this were what had made his father the bastard he was. He hoped to hell not because if so, he might one day slide down that slippery slope and he never wanted to be anything like his father.

He'd made it back to the hospital but couldn't find Chloe anywhere, stressing for a second before finding her text message telling him that if he got back before they did, that they were at the Beanery... and that yes, this girl was definitely her sister; it was confirmed by the girl's own words.

Whitney turned to leave and find them when the tail end of a couple of nurses' conversation found him.

"...and then he upped and left!" the burly nurse declared in shock. "We thought he was dying! Were readying for an emergency evac to Metropolis… and then he just sat up and ran out of the Emergency Room!" Whitney froze, eyes narrowed as he turned to look at the women. "Last anyone saw of him, he ran out of the back entrance," the nurse continued.

Whitney didn't stay and wait for more. He took off towards the back entrance, pushing past patients and staff alike, ignoring the security guard who yelled for him to stop running. The Quarterback threw the doors open as he raced out, skidding to a stop as he looked all around him, eyes widening when he realized that the Beanery could be seen from here.

Taking off once more, Whitney ran, heart in his throat. What if this was all a trap? What if that Balcoin girl and this guy had used this as a way to get Chloe and do something to her? What if-

Whitney skidded to a stop, able to see Chloe and Diana talking, both somewhat uncomfortable with whatever was being discussed.

And there, spying on them from behind a near building, was Grant Hardy.

Narrowing his eyes, Whitney stormed up to the guy and grabbed him by his collar, using momentum and surprise on his side as he threw the guy out from his hiding place.

Grant yelped, stumbling forwards, nearly falling on his face.

Chloe and Diana looked up, both standing immediately, eyes wide as they hurried over.

"Grant?!" Diana reached them first, stopping before him, eyeing him in confusion. "What are you doing out of the hospital? Are you okay? What happened? Why-?"

Chloe reached them, gaze going to Whitney before silently moving towards him.

"Grant!" Diana snapped when he straightened himself yet wouldn't answer.

Grant sighed, raising his gaze to her. "I know you're a witch."

Her eyes widened, face paling.

"I know the reason you've been wearing long sleeved shirts is to hide the Balcoin symbol that's on your palm." Grant turned to Chloe. "You have it on both palms right? Because you're the Firstborn?"

"You know a lot about stuff you shouldn't," Whitney snapped, taking a protective step in front of Chloe, feeling the star on his palm tingle. "And you're also incredibly healthy for someone who should be dying of hemlock poison by now."

"I've cultivated a tolerance to hemlock," Grant admitted softly. "Enough to have myself enter into shock… but not enough to actually hurt me."

"Grant?" Diana whispered, seeming like a vulnerable little girl and not a powerful dark witch.

"Your father raised me," Grant declared, unable to look at her. "He told me that if anything happened to him, to bring you or Cassie-or both if possible-to Chloe. That you were family and would be able to help and protect each other." He gulped. "So even though you killed him... I needed to protect you because that was what he'd want."

Tears were filling in Diana's eyes. "Everything we went through – was because he told you to?"

"I do like you, but that's why I need you to stay here," Grant whispered, eyes rising finally to meet hers. "You'll be safer here, especially with what's coming."

"What do you mean 'what's coming'?" Diana's voice cracked. "Grant, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered before reaching into his pocket and throwing something down, the container exploding into powder that made breathing painful and forced their eyes closed as they stung.

"Pepper bomb!" Whitney coughed, pulling his shirt up to cover his face as he coughed. "Use your shirts to shield your face – don't breathe this in!"

He could hear Diana and Chloe coughing close by and by the time the dust cleared enough for them to open their tear-filled, stinging eyes, it was no surprise that Grant was nowhere to be seen.

Diana just stared at where Grant had been standing, a heart-wrenched cry escaping her lips as she collapsed to her knees and brought her hands to her face, sobbing wretchedly.

Chloe wiped at her own eyes, which were tearing up from the pepper, and reached out to rub Whitney's arm before slipping past him to her sister. She hesitated a second before lowering herself on her knees in front of Diana, wrapping her arms around the sobbing girl and holding her tight as Chloe whispered softly to her.

Diana, obviously desperately in need of comforting, wrapped her own arms around Chloe and held on tightly as she cried into Chloe's neck.

Standing there, watching them, Whitney wondered if the girls realized Chloe's hands were glowing as she embraced her sister. He also wondered, as Diana's fists clenched tightly against the back of Chloe's jacket, as if to anchor herself, if either girl could sense the magic visibly reaching out of Chloe's back and curling around Diana almost as if in a second embrace, seemingly binding the brunette to the blonde.

Once again, Whitney felt the star on his palm tingle and he scratched it, watching the sisters, wondering exactly what this whole thing meant.

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John's other daughter was here.

Moira stared at the stairs where both girls had disappeared up once Whitney had dropped them off.

The woman hadn't needed introductions, seeing John immediately once she'd seen Diana. And once the girl's story had been told, Moira had nothing in her but enough energy to welcome the girl to the home and let her know that as Chloe's sister, this was her home as well. She'd seen the look in Chloe's eyes and knew there'd be questions in the future, but for now Moira could only lie on the sofa and look at the stairs. The faint murmur of conversation could be heard above, and while she couldn't hear what they were saying, she knew that they were bonding. They were already halfway there. It was natural and it was magic.

Dark magic.

Moira licked her lips as she turned her light eyes on the ceiling.

This could work out in her favor.

John had been right. Together, the Balcoins were an unstoppable weapon, a formidable army.

And if Chloe couldn't get herself out of that damned pact, an army was going to be exactly what they'd need.

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**TBC**


	26. Call To Arms

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"She has a sister?" Greg blinked in shock. They were sitting in the Talon and he was perched on top of the table, looking from Clark to Whitney. "Is she hot?"

"Is she-? That's not the point here, Greg!" Clark shook his head at him in utter bafflement before turning his narrowed gaze on Whitney. "What do you mean Chloe has a sister? Is she Moira's daughter? What the heck is going on?"

"And is she hot?" Greg asked once more.

Whitney leaned against the wall hugging himself as he eyed the two boys, having been tasked by Chloe to tell the others. "Gabe's not Chloe's dad. Diana is her biological dad's other daughter. That's as much as we know now." That wasn't the truth, but for right now that was as much as Whitney was telling the other two. "Diana's a witch as well and her boyfriend abandoned her, so she's staying with Chloe for a little bit."

"But is she hot?" Greg pressed.

"Yes Greg." Whitney rolled his eyes at the other boy. "She's hot."

"I knew it!" Greg celebrated, clapping his hands. "When do we get to meet her?"

"Why did you know about this before we did?" Clark wanted to know, eyes narrowed. "Okay, I get Greg not knowing, but why did you know it before me? I've been Chloe's best friend since we were kids."

Whitney had noticed this recently; the resentment Clark seemed to be harboring towards him concerning his relationship with Chloe, and to be honest it annoyed him. Clark hadn't left when Nell had hurt Chloe, Whitney had. And while the blonde hadn't done so due to any romantic feelings towards Chloe, he felt that Clark had lost all right to bitch when he'd stayed a member of the Circle. If Clark had left, maybe he would be the one with the star on his palm and the secrets Whitney kept, but he hadn't, and in Whitney's view it was due to Clark's own actions so he didn't think that Clark had the right to complain so much.

In the end, all he said though was: "I was there, you weren't."

Clark's eyes narrowed on him before he looked away, clearly unhappy with this whole thing and yet not mentioning it any further.

"She wants us all to come over and meet her tomorrow," Whitney finished, relaying the message. "Her father is having a big celebration to welcome his wife back, the whole neighborhood will be invited, and she wants us there."

"So what, the prodigal mother returns and gets the feast with the fatted calf?" Greg grumbled before straightening up when he realized the looks he was getting. "What? Do you think Pete was the only one who'd ever picked up the Bible?"

Clark and Whitney exchanged looks before each looking away.

Even more change was upon them and no one was ready for it.

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"This is amazing," Diana whispered as she stared at the large Balcoin symbol etched on the wall of the inner cavern, unable to believe the majesty and grandeur of the place or the power she could feel from it. When Chloe had told her that it wasn't good for her to remain in the house crying, that there was some place she felt might make Diana feel better, the brunette hadn't expected a place like this. She also hadn't expected it to actually work; that for this moment all her pain and fears and disappointment were numbed by the overwhelming sensations flowing through her veins. "How could this place have been hidden for so long?"

"I think it's spelled so that only the Balcoin blood can find it," Chloe admitted, staring up at the symbol, which had lit up immediately at her presence. "Whitney couldn't see it before, but now he can find it, most probably due to our…" She trailed off, as if not sure what exactly to call what they shared, rubbing the inside of her palm as she contemplated it. "…Bond."

Diana wondered if Chloe realized that she too was glowing like the symbol, the power just radiating off of her; a warm blue, almost like fire. It was fascinating. She'd never seen anything like this. Not even Cassie had ever displayed power like this and Cassie's dark magic had been incredible. As had John's. So why was it that Chloe's magic manifested like this? It was just so different.

Chloe turned to face her, a little smile on her face. "Do you feel that?"

"The power?" Diana asked softly.

The blonde nodded. "The connection too. It's like-"

"Coming home," Diana whispered, staring at her older, yet shorter, sister.

"Exactly." Chloe's grin was brighter, almost as if relieved to hear her own thoughts tumble from Diana's lips. "According to my mother, this place belongs to us, to the Balcoins, and only those we allow in will be able to not only find it, but enter."

"Your mother seems to know a lot," Diana muttered, remembering the extremely young woman with the icy blue eyes.

"More than I do, at least." Chloe sighed, hugging herself. "I don't trust her, but I don't really have a choice in the matter. Almost all the answers to the questions that have been haunting me have been answered by her and I have so many more questions that need answering."

Diana could understand what her sister was going through, distrusting one's own parents. Charles mightn't have actually been her father, but she'd thought so for most of her life and had loved and trusted him above all else – only to find out that he'd murdered Cassie's mother so that Cassie would come to Chance Harbor and bind the Circle. She'd never told Cassie that and even now she felt guilty for it, but considering that Charles was cursed to a catatonic existence to keep the demons within him at bay, Diana had been terrified that Cassie would lose the little grip on her self-control she had and would kill him while he was in this state.

Chloe flinched, bringing a hand to her shoulder and rubbing it.

Diana frowned, stepping closer as she saw the edge of a large gauze wrap. "What happened to you there?"

Chloe looked up at her in surprise, almost as if having forgotten the girl as she continued to rub the wound. "I was bitten."

"By what?" Diana blinked.

"My mother." Chloe shocked her once more, the blonde shaking her head in wry amusement at the expression on Diana's face. "I'll tell you about it sometime."

Diana eyed her older sister, unable to really understand her or her blasé way of reacting to things, but she wanted to. "So what are your plans now?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Chloe gave a little smile before leaning against the wall of the cavern, under the Balcoin symbol. "I'm planning a party. It's going to rock."

That had not been what Diana had been expecting to hear. "A party."

"At the Talon." Chloe nodded. "It was Pete and Greg's idea to begin with but I was brought in to take over." She sighed. "Pete and Lana might be gone, but Greg, Whitney and Clark still need to relax and have some fun." She tilted her head to the side, a wry smile on her lips. "And to be honest, so do I." She tilted her head upwards, staring at the seemingly endless cavern ceiling. "I know that with everything, I should be freaking out, but I'm not. It wouldn't help me if I did anyway. I just need to keep my head on straight, not get distracted by any fears, and formulate some plans." She finally turned her gaze on Diana, something flashing behind those green orbs of hers. "Lex Luthor and his Circle won't know what hit them."

"Why don't you just leave town?" Diana asked before she could even stop herself. "Why don't you disappear like John did?"

Like Diana had.

And it shook the brunette to realize that she'd done something John had, her stomach going queasy at the thought that she might be more like him than she wanted to admit.

"It's tempting," the blonde admitted with a wry little smile. "But if I run now, they're just going to follow and I'm going to have to run for the rest of my life. I'll also be giving them all the power by backing off and making for the hills. I won't do that." She shook her head, determined. "I'm going to stand my ground and face whatever has to be faced, here with my friends and family." She gave Diana a sad little smile. "I'd be weak and vulnerable, so alone, without them."

Diana had to admit it; she felt somewhat ashamed of herself for running now. Sure, she'd gone through a lot of traumatic revelations and experiences, but no matter what John Balcoin was, he had not sold her to some strangers as if she was just a bargaining chip. Chloe was in an impossible position and yet, instead of skipping town at the first opportunity, she was choosing to stay and fight.

Despite all this, she also couldn't help but feel that Chloe was selling herself short by thinking that she was weak and vulnerable without the others. Diana wasn't an expert on dark magic but she'd used enough of it to realize that Chloe had natural control of hers. When she was angry or scared or highly emotional, it didn't take over her as it did Cassie; something that had always terrified Diana. The brunette had always been cautious with Cassie when she'd get into those near trance states, the dark magic taking over completely and seeming to control her every action, driving her to kill time and time again without feeling any remorse or feeling at all. When she'd found out that same magic and blood ran through her veins the thought of turning into that herself had been horrifying, terrifying, and she'd left Chance Harbor because she knew that she'd never be able to fight her dark magic if she was next to Cassie. Especially given the fact that Cassie had given into her dark magic so completely.

Dark magic made one numb to killing. Hadn't Chloe admitted to killing those men who'd attacked her and her friends? Cassie had done the exact same thing. Both blondes had admitted to it, and the numbness they felt, but it didn't feel like Chloe was on the edge of falling into that territory at any little provocation. She seemed more grounded somehow. The girl obviously knew about her dark magic, knew she apparently had addictive magic on top of it, and yet she was thinking calmly, clearly, and… well…

…Diana didn't have the urge to run.

And she felt like such a horrible sister to Cassie because she knew she'd left when Cassie needed her the most, despite their friendship. And yet this sister was a near stranger to her and Diana couldn't fathom just upping and leaving at this moment, or any in the near future. It shocked her how much she wanted to stay in Smallville and help Chloe, get to know her better. Moira's knowledge of the Balcoins and dark magic was also enticing, the brunette feeling for the first time that she might have someone who could answer the questions she had, even if that someone made her feel a little on edge.

"You can stay, you know." Chloe finally broke the silence, face emotionless but eyes intent on her, almost as if able to read her thoughts and emotions on her face. "You can stay as long as you need and want." She gave a little crooked smile. "I always wanted a sister and I'd like to get to know you."

Diana licked her lips, gulping softly before letting out a little breath and turning her dark gaze to Chloe's light one, her lips slowly tilting upwards. "I'd like that."

Chloe's smile was more genuine, that glow around her getting a little brighter with pleasure.

Fascinated, Diana's smile grew as well before she shook her head with a little chuckle.

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"I don't want her to do this." Gabe was pacing the floor, basically wearing down the pattern. "She's not ready."

Moira sat on the couch, eyeing him with morbid interest. "She's ready."

"She's not." He turned to face her, furious. "She's a kid!"

"She's turning seventeen." Moira leaned back hard. "She's becoming a woman."

"She's still a child," he pushed.

"I had her when I was sixteen, Gabe. Don't forget that," Moira reminded a little harshly before sighing. "You love her, I understand that, but you're being a hindrance to her."

He stopped, eyes wide. "What?"

"You're doubting her abilities, her strengths, and she's sensing that," Moira pointed out, knowing it was a bitchy move but that it was the right one. "You love her, you want to protect her. That's understandable and admirable. But you've got to remember one thing. She's not your daughter. She's John Blackwell's oldest child. Now that he's dead she's the oldest living Balcoin." It was hard for even Moira to digest this. "As you mentioned before, she's the Matriarch." Her glossed lips twisted in a wry smile. "With John gone, it's all going to fall on her and she needs to know that you believe she's capable of doing what she has to to survive and thrive."

Gabe collapsed hard on the loveseat.

"She loves you Gabe, you're always going to be her father in her eyes." That wry smile turned soft. "You've been a wonderful father to her, but you need to start letting her take the reigns of her own life now – before someone else tries to."

He ran his hand over his face silently.

"Not only will she have the Luthor Circle to deal with, but the Trials are gonna start soon."

Gabe yanked his hand from his face, horrified and pale. "No."

"John's dead, Gabe." Moira leaned forwards in her seat. "They're gonna start sooner than we would like."

"It's too early." Gabe shook his head, deep in denial as he shot to his feet. "We still have some years-"

"John's dead, Gabe." Moira echoed her previous words with more emphasis as she stood as well, facing him. "The fact that Diana is here is proof enough that the Trials are gonna come before we can truly prepare Chloe for them."

"John-"

"Obviously had a plan set in place in case he failed," Moira replied, cutting Gabe off. "Chloe's going to go through the Trials, just like every Firstborn before her, and he's sent her a Hand." Moira hugged herself with a sigh. "Considering her bond with Fordman, he'll probably be her other Hand. It would have been better if both her Hands were her blood, but I've been watching this boy; he's capable."

"Luthor – the Trials – what else will burden my poor girl?" Gabe whispered, collapsing once more into his seat.

"She's a Balcoin. Her life will never be peaceful," Moira declared truthfully before sighing, hesitating a second before going to sit down next to him. "But we can help it be a long one, unlike her ancestors."

Gabe turned to look at her, his eyes betraying that he felt like the burdens of the world were on his shoulders. "I will never forgive you for abandoning her – but if I'm going to keep her safe, I need you."

That wasn't what a woman wanted to hear from her husband, but Moira figured that all things considered he was being very generous. "We need each other and she'll need us both. We have to put our differences aside and fight together for our daughter." She offered her hand to him in silent entreaty. "We can't be divided anymore, Gabe, no matter what happened in the past."

He sighed, staring at her hand, before reaching out and placing his in hers, giving it a strong shake.

Moira smiled softly, reciprocating the gesture, for the first time feeling like they might actually have a chance.

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"Have you thought about calling them?" Chloe asked as she and Diana walked slowly across the burnt remains of Miller's Field, the moon above them their only light as they trudged to where Chloe had left her car parked. "Letting someone know you're okay?"

She'd sensed Diana's hesitation every time Chance Harbor, her Circle and John's death had come up enough to figure out that Diana had some part in John's death and couldn't handle it or the Circle. She was obviously running from everything and everyone in her past, and while Chloe could understand it, she didn't think it was healthy. Not for Diana, nor for her friends or family back home. They must be worried about her. Even if her adopted father was apparently "indisposed" (whatever that meant), Diana had mentioned something about a grandmother – although she had also mentioned something about not believing she could trust said grandmother after "what had happened with Cassie". She'd explained enough for Chloe to understand that Diana's grandmother had tried killing Cassie because of her dark magic. Chloe didn't need more details.

Still, Diana had been a part of what appeared to have been a strong Circle and Chloe imagined that they must all be worried about her, especially Cassie.

"I have called them." Diana hugged herself, casting her glance away from Chloe in an obvious lie. "They understand."

"What about Cassie?" Chloe noticed the way Diana hugged herself tighter, one of her hands going to her throat as the brunette gulped. If the blonde didn't know any better, she'd think there was slight fear there. "What does she have to say about all of this?"

"I didn't talk to her." Diana finally returned her gaze on Chloe, giving her a weak smile, the truth coming out. "I'm not ready to talk to her."

Obviously something big had happened between the sisters, something important enough to make Diana avoid contact and act so oddly.

Chloe opened her mouth to ask Diana about Chance Harbor itself when suddenly all of her senses became inflamed, the blonde stumbling in shock as the air seemed to be knocked out of her lungs as if punched.

"Chloe?" Diana asked in confusion, dark eyes widening. "What's wrong?"

"You can't feel that?" The blonde clutched at her stomach, doubled over, voice a groan.

"No." Diana shook her head as she neared, casting an alert gaze around her. "What is it? What's happening? What can you feel?"

Suddenly, Chloe screamed, yanking her hands from around herself to bring her palms up, the Balcoin symbols on her palms burning through her fingerless gloves. Light glowed from the symbols, her hands trembling as she lowered her head and closed her eyes against the pain. She could feel the star on the side of her right palm throbbing slightly, almost as if in reaction to whatever was happening, the small line on her elbow doing the same as well. A part of her wondered if Whitney could feel this through their link, and that part seriously hoped he couldn't because she wouldn't wish this pain on anyone.

"Chloe?" Diana's voice trembled slightly as she looked around them, nearly twirling. "Chloe!"

Chloe forced her eyes open and they widened to see that all around them, seemingly appearing from the shadows around, were hooded people. They were the same people who she'd filmed gathering in the woods before she even knew that the one they'd been discussing that night had been… her.

The blonde forced herself to stand straight, her hands still burning and pain still racing throughout her body as she turned her head, realizing that they were trapped within a circle comprised of these hooded bodies. She clenched her fists tightly, ignoring the pain as she moved a little closer to Diana while never taking her eyes off of those robed ones. "What do you want?"

And that was when it hit her, shooting through her form behind, the magic so strong it sent her flying to her hands and knees on the ground.

A scream ripped through her lips as her skin seemed to bubble, the bite on her shoulder throbbing now as well.

"No!" Diana snarled and Chloe could feel something shifting in the brunette as she seemed to be taken over by that other magic within them, the Balcoin magic. "Stop it!" Diana's voice was sharper, a little different sounding, as behind her Chloe could hear someone screaming, the magical connection between her and her attacker severing immediately as he was brought to his knees by whatever Diana was doing.

Someone hit Diana with a spell, the brunette crying out yet keeping on her feet as she turned her other hand towards him.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe coughed, her hand coming from her mouth with blood. The blonde stared at her bloodied hand before turning to look at Diana when she heard a cry escaping the brunette's lips, finding her lean body shaking and a trail of blood trailing down from the inside of her nose.

Someone chuckled from the group attacking them. "They're nothing but little girls. With John Balcoin truly dead, this will be easy."

They were enjoying this.

Diana was brought to her knees, crying out.

Someone else laughed.

Both sounds caused something to snap in Chloe, the blonde unclenching her fists and slamming them palms down on the ground and letting out a scream as she channeled her rage and pain into the earth.

A domed barrier visibly raised around the two girls, electric and green as it covered them completely, all connection with the spells being cast at them severing completely.

Diana let out a cough, sitting up, taking in rapid breaths as she looked around her.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, voice a whisper, feeling that darkness churning inside of her, trying to entrance her into letting it do it's will.

"What? This isn't a normal Tuesday for you?" Diana tried for blasé.

Chloe let out a little chuckle despite everything, digging her fingers harder into the earth as the spells began to fire against her barrier, seeking a weakness, trying to break in and get at the protected girls.

"So… I didn't know you could do this." Diana looked around her at the barrier, at the explosions of magic against it.

"Me neither." Chloe flinched as one spell hit harder than the others.

Diana turned her gaze to her before reaching out and placing her hand on Chloe's.

Immediately Chloe could feel Diana channeling power into her, adding it to the blonde's and strengthening the barrier.

The sisters exchanged little looks before smiling softly and entwining their fingers, somehow knowing that whoever was out there wasn't going to be able to hurt them.

Together they were safe, protected.

They just had to wait it out.

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Moira looked up, eyes wide as a dish slipped from her hands, shattering on the tiles at her feet.

Gabe looked up from where he was getting something from the fridge, his eyes narrowing when hers flashed lupine. "What is it?"

"Chloe," Moira whispered, the connection between them through her bite wounds sending a distress signal. "She's in danger."

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"Why the frig isn't she answering?" Whitney didn't like the fact that he was visibly freaking out, but the star in his palm was throbbing viciously, itching like hell and he just knew Chloe had somehow managed to get herself into more trouble. The fact that the agonizing pain he'd felt earlier was gone did not make him feel any better either. He tried Chloe's number once more, cursing when he realized he should have gotten Diana's number, and then tried Chloe's home phone despite knowing the blonde wasn't there and not really wanting to talk to Moira if she picked up.

"What's going on?" Clark stepped forwards, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "What happened to you? What-?"

Greg's eyes were narrowed on Whitney, his hands folded over his chest. "Chloe's in trouble, isn't she?"

Clark's eyes narrowed on Whitney. "Why would he feel it if Chloe was in trouble?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Greg asked softly. "They're a Circle."

Clark turned his narrowed glare on Greg. "A Circle is six."

"It's a new kind of Circle." Greg turned his gaze onto Whitney thoughtfully before declaring, "I call shotgun." And with that he headed towards Whitney's parked truck, hands in his jacket's pocket.

Whitney's call went to the home answering machine, the blonde cursing angrily.

Clark clenched his fists before storming wordlessly towards Whitney's truck as well.

Whitney watched them, scratching his star, blinking when his phone began ringing, Gabe's number on the screen. "Hello?"

"Miller's Field," was all Gabe said before hanging up.

Whitney's eyes widened. "Oh shit!"

The Quarterback took off towards his truck.

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Davis sat in the motel in Chance Harbor feeling lonely. He'd just finished talking with Oliver and Tess, who'd filled him in on the fact that Diana Meade was now in Smallville and staying with her sister, Chloe Sullivan. The advent of the Balcoin girl had betrayed the true Balcoin in Smallville, but from what Davis figured, it really wasn't a surprising reveal. Despite physical appearances in Crouch End, Lex had already suspected the blonde to be the Firstborn. Their leader didn't want them all in Smallville though, even though he now knew who their Firstborn was. Instead had sent Oliver and Tess off on some mission and had texted Davis that his own mission was over as well.

Cassie Blake wasn't the Firstborn and wasn't of any interest to them, at least for now.

Davis was to go back to Metropolis and prepare things for whenever Lex felt he was ready for them.

Sighing, staring at his packed bags, Davis didn't understand why he hesitated, why he was resentful for this order.

Why exactly was Lex doing things this way?

This wasn't what they'd agreed would happen once they found the Firstborn.

Jason's words about Lex maybe not going through with what he'd said he would concerning the Firstborn echoed in Davis' head.

Davis frowned, shaking his head as he grabbed his bags and stormed out of the motel.

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"What is that?" Diana asked, both she and Chloe standing in the middle of the dome.

Chloe followed Diana's outstretched hand before her eyes widened. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!"

One of the hooded men was drawing closer to the barrier, his hand clenched around a sickle glowing softly as if in flames. A war cry erupted form his lips as he raced towards the dome, sickle held high, ready to slam it into the dome, when suddenly a blast of purple slammed into him, sending the man flying into two other robed men and the sickle flinging up into the air before falling hard into the ground.

Chloe's eyes widened and she turned (as did everyone) towards the direction the magic had come from, her lips parting in surprise to see Lex and Jason slowly walking towards them calmly. They looked so out of place, dressed as expensively as they were, in the middle of the charred countryside, and yet the men just sneered at the robed ones, who turned towards them.

"Now this is just cowardly." Lex sneered, straightening his Armani jacket. "You big bad men attacking two girls like this? Really tacky."

Chloe held back the fact that Lex had basically sent people after them as well, shocked that he was here, that he was apparently helping them. Sure, she was supposed to "belong" to his family, and yet-

"You know what these girls are, Luthor," a voice declared as one of the men stepped forwards. "They and their kind are abominations that must be destroyed." He stepped forwards before removing his hood – to reveal Farmer Jenkins. "You know that they must be killed."

Jason reached out his hand and Farmer Jenkins rose in the air. The witch gave a sharp twist of his wrist, the loud sound of Farmer Jenkins' neck breaking echoing throughout the night before his lifeless body tumbled back to the ground. Jason turned his green eyes on the group. "If you want to hurt these girls you'll have to come through us." He sneered. "And believe me, you don't want us fighting you."

"You'll pay for this!" one of the others yelled, sending a curse their way.

Lex smiled, and that was the only warning anyone had before power erupted from him like an explosion, sending the people flying backwards into the ground. He used the second the men took to stumble back on their feet and charge the two of them, to turn to Jason and smirk. "Let's play."

"'Bout time." Jason smirked back as the two men charged as well.

The two Circle members entered the fray with grace and agility that Chloe had never witnessed before. They were horribly outnumbered and yet were keeping their own. Still, more and more robed attackers seemed to be arriving and Chloe knew that, while these two men were obviously warriors, they weren't undefeatable. It was only a matter of time.

Chloe turned to her sister. "Stay in here."

"Screw that!" Diana surprised her. "I'm not just going to stay here by myself. I can fight."

"Be safe," Chloe whispered with a small smile before racing out of the barrier and grabbing the sickle that'd been abandoned, blade deep into the ground. Yanking it free from the earth, Chloe threw it at the man sneaking up behind Lex. The sound of the man's screaming as his hand was sliced off caused Lex to turn his gaze on her and smirk for a second before returning his attention to the fight.

Diana stood still, the rocks of the field around her levitating in the air before pelting at the ones charging her.

Someone grabbed Chloe from behind, a blade to her throat as he twisted her arm behind her painfully. "Time to die, bitch."

Chloe slammed her head back into his face, his blade slicing at her neck enough to draw blood as he staggered away, holding his bloodied nose.

"YOU BITCH!" he yelled, tightening his grip on his knife. "YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY FOR THAT!"

Chloe held tightly onto her neck, pressing against the bleeding wound, stumbling slightly, disoriented from the pain and blood loss.

The man stormed towards Chloe – but before he could swing his blade at her once more, a white wolf side charged him, knocking him to the ground as fangs tore his neck open.

Pressing harder onto her wound, Chloe looked around her, shock filling her system as her father appeared behind one of the men grabbing his head, the sound of a neck breaking inaudible in the chaos.

"Hey!" Greg smiled at Diana, ducking a spell sent his way, and then another, before sending one of his own that sent the attacker flying into another. "I'm Greg."

Diana sent a rock flying into the face of one of the men who'd raised his hand to target Greg while he was distracted. "Diana."

"You're seriously hot," he announced with a grin before sprinting off to tackle the two robed guys, who were still on the ground and struggling to get up.

Diana's gaze followed him in utter confusion and slight amusement before returning her attention to the fight around her, lips moving in a soft murmur, "You're not too bad yourself."

A ball of ash rose and surrounded three of the attackers, not only blocking their view but making it harder and harder to breathe, Clark's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on keeping them trapped within. He reached out with his other hand and another ball of ash trapped two men behind him. So true to his character, Clark was obviously trying to render them unconscious without really hurting them.

Blood was pooling in Chloe's hand, covering her Balcoin symbol and star, trailing down her arm to cover the mark on her elbow as well.

And that was when she saw Whitney.

The young witch was fighting a group of five on his own, and yet not only was he keeping up with them, but his eyes were burning infernal red, the palm with his own star and the elbow with his own mark glowing blood red as well. It was as if her blood was sending him into some sort of blood rage. Two of the men hit him simultaneously with magic spells, which drove Whitney to his knees for a second before he flung his hands outwards towards them with a snarl – driving their spells right back at them and burning them up.

Lex's hands glowed purple with his power as he dodged most of the spells and curses with practiced ease. And every time his hands clasped onto someone, that purple shot into them and the longer he held onto them the slower they grew, the weaker. It was almost as if he was sucking power or energy out of them with his mere touch.

Where Lex was more grace and skill, Jason was more strength and passion, sneering and enjoying the fight, much more physical than Lex in his style. He didn't mind getting in punches or kicks, or elbowing an opponent in the face or neck before bringing them down with a well-placed spell. He seemed to analyze the fight less than Lex, going on instinct, taking any advantage he could find and not above cheating to give himself some where there wasn't – like adding moisture to the ground so he could slide on his knees between where Greg and Lex were fighting, none of the spells hitting him since they were all being aimed at a point higher than his head.

Her father's scream tore her attention from Jason. Chloe twirled around to find him on the ground, five robed ones around him, hands towards him. Their magic poured visibly from them, the magic-less man spasming on the ground as the witches above him laughed.

Chloe reacted without even thinking, feeling that magic within her coil like a serpent waiting to strike. She removed the bloodied hand from her throat, her anger and fury and pain whirling inside of her like a tornado. Emotions and magic and darkness welled within her, and while the darkness wanted to overwhelm and take over, wanted to reach out and kill all, Chloe funneled its fury into that tornado within her. These witches were no doubt part of the reason John had wanted all of the witches who weren't Balcoin dead, and while he'd been wrong in being willing to kill so many innocents to get at the few who deserved it – those who deserved it encircled her.

That tornado of power and anger beat at her chest and when she couldn't keep it in anymore, didn't even want to, it erupted from her with a scream, rippling out of her like an explosion that shook through and pierced every single person on Miller's Field.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning towards the source of the explosion of power, and then one by one those in robes began to scream as they clawed at their own skin.

Clark looked around him, eyes wide. "What's going on?"

The men began tearing off their hoods, their robes, revealing them to be every-day citizens of Smallville, people they'd known from childhood. Their skin was beginning to darken, as if they were burning from the inside.

Moira, in wolf form, went to Gabe and nudged him with her nose.

Gabe groaned as he sat up, nodding to the creature. "I'm fine."

Greg knelt down next to the screaming man in front of him. "It's the same spell from the school."

Diana gasped as she went to stand next to him, wide eyes on her sister. "But she doesn't have the crystal skull, so how…?"

Whitney stumbled slightly, bringing his hand to his head, the red glow beginning to disappear as he seemed to slowly return to them.

Lex observed everything going on around him with an ever the analytical eye, a slow smile beginning to curve his lips as his baby blues turned from the slowly burning and drying out bodies to Chloe.

Chloe didn't notice, staring at everything with detachment, almost as if watching the actions of someone else.

Only when the moans were near inaudible did the power return to her like whiplash, the shock of its return causing Chloe to gasp loudly and stagger back. She would have probably fallen as well if she hadn't stumbled backwards into a warm grip. Chloe tilted her head backwards, spots dancing in front of her eyes and seeming to almost dance over Jason's grim face.

She gave him a weak little smile, vaguely aware of Lex, Moira and Gabe finishing off the weakened, burnt witches.

Jason didn't reciprocate, a muscle jumping in his cheek as he stared down hard at her.

"Seriously?" Whitney snapped, pulling off his shirt and punching it up in a bundle before pressing it to her neck. "You took your hand off of your bleeding neck? Are you some sort of stupid idiot?"

"To be fair, stupid and idiot are the same thing," Greg pointed out from where he was coming closer as well, hands in his pockets.

Diana reached Whitney first though, eyes wide on Chloe. "Keep pressure on it, she's lost a lot of blood."

Whitney gave the girl a look that clearly said 'well, DUH!' before he turned his annoyed huff on Chloe. "You're such an idiot."

"Stop it," Clark scolded Whitney, though with little to no heat, his blues wide and worried on Chloe as he reached their side. "Are you okay?"

Chloe opened her mouth to tell him she was fine, but that was when her body decided to give out on her, her knees buckling in as she nearly fainted.

"Gods damn it," Jason growled, sweeping her up in his arms.

Whitney caught his bloodied shirt before it hit the ground, reapplying it to her neck. "Can you hold on to it and apply pressure yourself?"

She nodded subtly despite the pain, pressing the cloth with a wince just to show she could.

Whitney gave her a weak little smile before raising his hard blues on Jason. "We need to take her to the hospital."

"I have the fastest car," Lex declared from where he was kneeling over the last body, the hand he had around the man's body glowing purple until the last bit of life escaped from that man's lips. "We'll take her." He stood in a movement as smooth as liquid. "Any objections?"

"None if he's in the car with you," Greg replied, dark gaze going to Whitney to let them know who he was referring to.

"I'm coming as well," Gabe groaned, standing awkwardly.

"You should," Lex agreed with a look in his direction. "You'll probably need medical attention as well." His gaze slid over the rest of them. "See you at the hospital then."

Chloe pressed the material harder to her throat, leaning her cheek against Jason's chest, against his heartbeat, as he began walking her in the direction of wherever their car was. She closed her eyes, tired yet battling the urge to fall asleep, figuring it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do, all things considering. So to stay awake, she focused on the sound of Jason's heartbeat, surprised it wasn't racing faster considering that he'd just finished participating in a very (for him) physical battle. She focused on his scent, wondering why she felt as if she'd smelt this musky scent before. It teased the back of her mind, and then…

…a fox mask flashed before her eyes.

Chloe's eyes widened and she jerked, the movement causing Jason to stop walking, falling a couple of steps behind the others, as he stared down at her in uncharacteristic silence.

The blonde in his arms changed the hand she was holding her bandage with and grabbed hold of his shirt, staring up into his greens as her own widened. "It's you." Her lips parted. "You're the guy I kissed in Crouch End."

He stared down at her before his lips twisted slightly and he snorted, continuing to walk once more. "It was about time."

Eyes wide, Chloe spent the rest of the walk to the car unable to believe it, admittedly more shocked about this revelation than about what she herself had just done.

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**TBC**


	27. Mirror Mirror

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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Diana had wanted to go with Chloe, but there was only a limited amount of space in that luxury car of Lex's and she knew that with Whitney and Gabe there, Chloe would be fine. Plus, the best way she could help was staying here with the others and helping, not having a nervous break down like she wanted to. Clark and Greg, the other two members of Chloe's unofficial Circle, were a little worryingly used to this. Then again, Diana could understand given the fact that, like her own Circle, they'd been attacked too many times and had to defend themselves. Still, Clark seemed the most affected by what was going on, the boy kept on shaking his head as he stared at the bodies.

She felt very much out of place amongst these people and wondered if this was what Cassie had felt at first when she'd arrived in Chance Harbor and had been dragged into their magical upheavals. Adam, Melissa, Nick, Faye and herself must have seemed just as weird and different and yet intriguing as Chloe's friends did, she supposed. And it made Diana miss her friends and feel guilty for just running away on them. Still, with everything that was going on, she couldn't go back, not now. Not while she still couldn't sleep without nightmares of killing her own father. She was terrified at what she was and who she could become given the fact that her biological father was a killer and so was the man who'd raised her as his own. She'd killed when she'd had to – and while she was sure that none of her spells had killed anyone tonight, they were all dead – and she felt horribly numb to it all.

Hadn't she always tried to talk to Cassie about this? Hadn't this always scared her about the blonde?

Hugging herself, Diana took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself…

…And that was when the bodies on the ground began to melt.

"What the-?" Greg stepped back and away from the body he'd been dragging towards Whitney's truck, eyes wide.

All around them, the skin melted off of their bodies, their bones glowing a ghoulish blue as they too began to disintegrate into nothingness.

"Who's doing this?" Clark wanted to know, looking around him.

"Don't look at me," Diana hissed when his blues rested on her.

"Someone's going to a lot of trouble to make sure there's no evidence that tonight ever happened," Moira declared, eyeing everything with way too much calmness.

Palm itching, Diana scratched it as she gazed down before her eyes widened in shock at the symbol that had tattooed itself there next to her Balcoin symbol. "What is going on?"

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"He's losing it," Tess declared as they lay in bed, bodies sweat covered, chests heaving as they both came down from what would be the first of many pleasurable moments they'd share that night. "None of the decisions he's made since Pat's death make any sense. We should all have gone to Smallville, sussed the Firstborn out, and taken her back by her hair if need be. Not this cloak and daggers shit he's doing instead."

Arms folded behind his head, Oliver stared at the ceiling. "I'm sure Baldy has something planned."

"I think losing Pat affected him far more than he's letting on," Tess replied.

Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly as he turned his head towards his long-time girlfriend. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, like you like to remind everyone, I'm half Luthor." Tess turned her head towards him, meeting his gaze head-on. "Means I have the bloodright to rule this Circle if the reigning Luthor proves himself unstable and unable to do what any leader must."

Oliver eyed his girlfriend in silence, not backing her up and yet not discarding the idea either.

Suddenly the door was kicked in and before either of them could turn to look towards it, twin bolts of magic shot into them, rendering the lovers unconscious.

The figure in the doorway chuckled, hands brushing against each other. "That was way too easy… Makes me think bringing down the rest of this Circle will be boring."

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Thankfully, while she'd needed some stitches, the doctor didn't think it'd scar. Chloe was relieved because she wouldn't want another physical reminder of what her life was like now. The scars on her hands were enough of that. Deputy Gary Watts was there to take her and her father's statements about the "mugging" that they'd been subjected to and she could see the fact that he believed this mugging and the attack she'd suffered in the Torch were related somehow. He wasn't saying anything, probably because he didn't want to worry her but Chloe could see the wheels turning behind his eyes and hoped that he didn't get too close. Especially since she had no idea what sort of explanation was going to be given for the bodies in Miller's Field. Sure, they'd set the place ablaze last time to conceal the bodies of the out-of-towners, but this time there was nothing to burn but the bodies and that would leave evidence. Also? These weren't out-of-towners. They were people from Smallville. This wasn't going to go away as quickly and quietly as it had last time.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Deputy Watts wanted to know, eyeing her steadily. "You seem like there's something on your mind that you're not sharing with me."

"She just got attacked and her throat was nearly sliced open by some maniac," Whitney butted into their conversation a little tersely as he arrived with a cup of coffee for Chloe, still shirtless given the fact that he'd used his to help stop her blood flow. "Give her a break. You're acting like she's the suspect and not the victim."

"Whitney…" Chloe sent him a little look before turning her greens on Deputy Watts. "I'm just worried about my father. He's been in with the doctor for longer than I would have expected."

Deputy Watts put away his notepad and gave her a little smile, completely ignoring Whitney and his comments since he'd already gotten the boy's witness statement. "I'm sure he'll be alright." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to her. "If anything else comes back to you about your attacker, no matter how unimportant it might seem, please give me a call."

"Of course." She nodded, eyeing the card before pocketing it.

"And take care." He eyed her oddly as he took a couple of steps backwards. "You seem to attract trouble." And with that he turned and left, nodding to his colleague who taking statements from Lex and Jason, who were playing the part of good Samaritans who'd stepped in and helped when they'd seen the mugging happening.

"You seem to attract trouble?" Whitney made a face, glaring at the deputy's back as he walked away. "Now we know why he's not the Sheriff."

Chloe leaned her head against Whitney's bare shoulder, ignoring the pain in the side of her neck as she did so, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Don't read anything into this," Whitney grumbled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Wouldn't dare to," she promised, closing her eyes and just accepting the grudging comfort he was offering.

"What the hell are we gonna do about those two?" Whitney wanted to know, gaze on where Lex and Jason were talking to each other. "Because I'm figuring the cat is definitely out of the bag by now."

"Yep." Chloe nodded, letting out a deep sigh. "Where are the others?"

"Probably dealing with our little issue," Whitney declared easily, as if they weren't talking about numerous bodies. "This is becoming a routine." His gaze narrowed on Jason and Lex, who were nodding at each other. "They might have come to help you but I still don't trust them. It's in their best interest to keep you alive."

"Exactly," Chloe whispered, reaching out to wrap her arm around his waist as Jason and Lex turned towards them, the men making their way towards the teens. She waited for them to get close before announcing, "I know why you're in Smallville."

Jason looked away, eyes dark.

Lex kept his blues on her face. "I figured that you did the moment you introduced me to your sister."

"And why is that?" she asked softly.

His lips curled slightly. "Your eyes gave you away. They were defiant and calculating, not open and intrigued anymore."

"I was right, you are observant." Chloe pulled away from Whitney, standing as tall as she could while being loomed over by all these much taller men. "And while I'm grateful for you two coming to help me, I need you to know right now that no matter what John Balcoin did or promised – I belong to no one but myself."

Lex's smile was more amused. "It isn't the time to talk about this. We have more pressing things we need to talk about."

"Like what exactly?" Whitney wanted to know.

"Normally I'd tell you to butt out," Jason finally spoke, returning his dark gaze on Whitney. "But you bound yourself to her so if it relates to her, it relates to you."

"How did you-?" Whitney's eyes widened.

"You don't realize it." Lex was obviously fascinated as he stared between them. "Did you not sense the bloodlust?"

Whitney's face proved that he didn't.

Lex chuckled, shaking his head. "Fascinating. He has no recollection."

"No recollection of what?" Whitney turned to look at Chloe, eyes narrowed. "What's he talking about?"

"Your eyes – and our-" Her gaze went to his star-scarred palm before rising to his blues as she licked her lips nervously. "They were glowing red."

"What do you remember about the fight?" Jason wanted to know.

"That I was fighting." Whitney brought his hand to his head. "That's it. It's not like I blacked out or anything. I was just-"

"Stronger than you thought you were?" Lex guessed. "Faster? Angrier?"

Whitney's eyes narrowed as his hand dropped limply to his side. "What of it?"

"He's her Right Hand." Lex turned to Jason, lips curled in a fascinated smile. "I've only ever read about this – it's amazing to see it in person."

"Right Hand?" Chloe narrowed her eyes, just as confused as Whitney.

"We have a lot to talk about on our little date." Lex didn't answer her question, instead just smiled that smile of his. "You might think of us as the enemy, Chloe, but we're not."

"You need us," Jason replied ominously.

"I need the bathroom." Chloe knew she was running away from the issue (even if momentarily) but she didn't care, stalking towards the bathroom and slipping inside, locking the door behind her as she strode towards the sink. Turning on the faucet, she splashed water onto her face, concentrating on breathing in and out as her greens rose to her pale reflection. She looked like a terrified, half-drowned rat; all pale and wet and trying to regulate her erratic breathing. "'Mirror, mirror,' the Queen pled, 'Who's in way over her head?'" It was no surprise a half-hysterical giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head and lowered her gaze to the porcelain sink bowl.

"Oh, I don't know about that," a voice spoke causing her to freeze. "All things considered, you've been doing pretty well in my eyes."

Slowly Chloe raised her gaze to the mirror, finding her reflection eyeing her with some amusement.

The reflection flashed her a smile. "You're not screaming. I'm so relieved. Usually that's the first reaction."

Chloe fought that very instinct, gulping it down. "I'm guessing you're not really my reflection."

"Bingo!" Whatever the hell she… it… was seemed far too cheery. "I'm here to congratulate you on passing the Entrance Exam with flying colors. Your father didn't do half as well, especially considering his were all there because he'd paid them."

"What?" Chloe had a feeling that, with the way her life was going, she should get used to being continually confused.

"And you see, that makes it even better. You have no idea!" Her reflection giggled, eyes tinting crimson. "You're being Tried."

"Tried?" Chloe narrowed her greens, relieved for the crimson of the reflection's orbs if only because it helped distinguish them.

"You're the oldest living Balcoin, which has admittedly sped up the process, but you were going to have to go through this some time." The other her shrugged as if this really wasn't that big of a deal. "But it has been sped up and considering you passed the Entrance Exam so smashingly without even realizing you were having a test, well, I think you'll do your bloodline proud and probably won't die."

"Die?" Chloe's voice cracked at that word. "_Probably_?!"

"You don't think the Balcoins would allow someone weak to be the Matriarch of their bloodline, do you?" Her reflection scoffed. "The Trials were designed to make sure that only someone worthy would be the oldest, and thus the leader. If you fail, you die, and the next child closest to you in age will have to go through the Trials and so forth until someone wins. Why do you think John only had one symbol burnt on his palm? He wasn't the Firstborn, but he was the one who made it through the Trials."

"What if none of us win?" Chloe wanted to know.

"The Balcoins are a proud family. They would prefer for their bloodline to die rather than for it to be known for any sort of weakness."

Her grip tightened on the sink as she fought not to break down into hysteria as everything seemed to crash down all around her. "Every time I learn more about the Balcoins, I like them less and less."

"No one ever said the Balcoins were ever well liked," her reflection confided. "Feared and respected, yes, but well liked?"

This whole chirpiness thing was getting on Chloe's nerves as her greens rose to those crimson. "You mind changing back to whatever you really look like? You're freaking me out."

There was a pause as the bright smile and sunshine melted into a smirk and shadows, her features shifting and contorting, barely human anymore. And then it wasn't; a large serpent staring at her with crimson eyes, a forked tongue making an appearance as it hissed at her before springing forwards in attack.

A scream escaped her lips as Chloe threw herself backwards, back hitting the stall and the girl's foot slipping, ending with her falling hard on her ass on the tiled floor.

The door flew open despite it having been locked before, Jason and Whitney the first ones in.

"What happened?" Whitney went to her on bent knee.

Chloe stared up wide-eyed past him at the mirror.

Jason looked around, finding nothing; no reflection nor image on the mirror anymore.

Lex stood in the doorway and yet his gaze was on his palm, an unreadable expression on his face before he raised his blues to her face. "What did you see when you went to Marx?"

Jason turned to look at him with a curious expression.

Chloe continued staring up at the mirror, wide-eyed and terrified.

"Chloe," Lex hissed, causing the blonde to finally jerk her gaze to him. "What did you see when you were in Marx's vault?"

"How did you-?" She then shook her head. "You mean the avatar?"

"Yes." Lex stepped forward. "What was your avatar?"

"My avatar?" Chloe made a face, shaking her head. "There – The avatar in the room when I was there was a snake."

Jason turned towards Chloe. "A snake?"

"With wings." Lex wasn't asking her.

"It only had wings after I cut myself on its fangs. That's when the wings tore out of its sides and it started to fly," Chloe responded, confused. "Why-?"

Lex didn't answer, just merely raised his palm towards her, showing the girl the tattoo on the meaty bit under his palm. It was a tattoo of a winged snake.

"What-?" Chloe sat up straighter, looking at her own palms. Nothing.

Jason stared down at his palm before turning it to face her. It had the same symbol as Lex's.

"What the-?" Whitney hissed, showing her his, which was somewhat different, the star decorating it's chest area and bleeding into its wings.

"What happened in here?" Lex entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him, locking it. "Why were you screaming?"

"I-uh-my reflection-" To be truthful, she had no idea how to explain what had just happened without sounding as if the stress was getting to her and making her hallucinate. "My reflection told me I was being Tried because I'm the oldest living Balcoin and then it turned into a snake and attacked me – or I think it attacked me. It scared the crap out of me!"

"There's nothing there now." Whitney frowned, standing and going to knock on the mirror just to be sure, eyeing his own reflection warily.

Jason and Lex were sharing looks that revealed the fact that they not only knew what was going on here, but were conversing in a way the younger couldn't.

"What is it?" Chloe glared up at them.

Jason let out a little sigh, running his hand over his head. "You shouldn't be Tried this early in the game, but at least tonight's events make sense now."

"You're saying that that group attacked Chloe because of this Trial?" Whitney turned his back on the mirror and then reconsidered, moving away from it carefully. "What does one thing have to do with the other?"

"I have to admit that I'm somewhat ignorant of the Balcoin Trials, but I do know that the Firstborn has to go through certain Trials placed upon the Balcoin bloodline by Francis Balcoin to ensure that no weak person would rule the bloodline," Lex declared, eyeing Chloe with interest. "He's your ancestor, a man so evil he makes your father and mine look like kids playing with playdough. He was extremely powerful, the turning point for the Balcoin family. Much blood was shed by his hands, much of it innocent. Many Circles hated him as much as they feared and admired his power."

"Some say that Francis Balcoin was the first to use dark magic; that his evil created it and passed it down his bloodline," Jason murmured softly.

Chloe gulped.

"He created these Trials so that no weak person would ever head the Balcoin family." Lex eyed Chloe as if she were some interesting new piece of scientific substance that needed to be analyzed. "I'm supposing that tonight was some sort of initiation to the Trials."

"The snake called it my Entrance Exam." Chloe slowly pushed herself up to her feet, hugging herself as she stared up at him, trying to digest all this information. "Said that I was doing better because "mine" weren't paid like my father's were."

Jason's gaze lowered to his palm. "I'm figuring Scales was talking about us."

"So what? Everyone that fought tonight is somehow a part of these Trials?" Whitney wanted to know. "And to prove it, we all have this winged snake on us? And why do we have that? What does whatever she saw in Marx's vault have to do with any of this?"

Whitney always asked good questions and Chloe needed the answers to them all.

Lex and Jason shared looks once more before Lex turned his blues on the younger two. "From what I know, I believe that somehow when we helped you tonight, we unintentionally bound ourselves to helping you through the Trials and these are our entrance passes."

"Think of the nightclubs where they stamp your hand when you go VIP." Jason shrugged. "Same concept applies."

Chloe and Whitney were the ones who exchanged looks this time before Chloe turned her greens on them. "What's the big deal with the feathered snake?"

"What did your father tell you about Marx when he sent you there?" Jason wanted to know.

"That Marx had a package for him and that I was the only who could retrieve it because of my blood," Chloe responded. "I don't understand what this has to do with the winged snake."

"Trust a Balcoin to forget to mention that Marx is the top supplier of Devils Root and safe-keeps unmentionable objects of power for people who pay him ridiculous prices to keep their things hidden – and they only do so because his security system is a Blood Sprite." Jason sneered, shaking his head.

"Blood Sprite?" Whitney prompted.

"It's a creature created by a highly powerful witch to safeguard important treasures. They're very rare because it takes immense power to create them and can go horribly wrong and kill the caster. But many have died trying because those things are highly effective at what they do," Lex offered. "They remember any blood they've ever tasted, no matter how many hundreds of years have gone by, and one of its unique quirks is that it takes on the resemblance of what it sees when it sees us and takes our blood."

"Wait what?" Chloe's eyes widened in horror. "It sees me as a winged snake?"

"When in this form they call the sprite an Avatar because it's a temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity." Jason folded his arms over his chest. "Many of the more powerful families pay to bring their children to a Blood Sprite to see their children's Avatars because they feel it will give them an idea of what those children will accomplish."

"So each form has a meaning?" the girl asked, wanting to know.

"Nothing written in a book." Lex chuckled darkly. "But when an Avatar takes on a similar shape to an Avatar of a past witch of great importance, it's taken to mean that that witch has a similar destiny to the one who shared its Avatar."

Things were slowly falling into place horribly all around her, a sinking feeling weighing the pit of her stomach. "Who's the last witch whose Avatar was a winged snake?"

"There's only ever been one other witch with that Avatar," Jason declared softly.

Chloe gulped.

Whitney narrowed his blues at them. "Well? Who was it?"

Lex eyed the both of them before letting out a sigh. "Francis Balcoin."

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TBC


	28. Swan Song

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"I'm not a werewolf." Chloe finished looking through the article Clark had given her on his jump drive before rushing out to attend after school detention. She groaned, feeling that intense gaze on her, finally turning to look at the boy. "I'm _not_."

Van stood there, leaning with his hip against the desk. "Dude. Your mother."

He didn't say anything else and didn't have to.

"That's her, not me," Chloe grumbled, having figured that it made no sense to keep telling Van that Moira wasn't a werewolf. She'd have to get deeper into the whole "she's a witch whose family has the ability to shape shift". This whole werewolf thing was just an easier way of leaving things and thus keeping everyone else and their magic safe as well. Also, it was a way of keeping Van safe. Especially with the mysterious disappearance of certain male figures in the Smallville society. People were on edge, and she just wanted to try and keep both sides of her life separate. Even when they were forced together – like tonight and the house party her father was throwing for her mother despite the fact that he was black and blue from the beating he'd gotten the night before.

Van continued to just stare at her. "That necklace is silver, right?"

"Oh, dear god, yes!" Chloe threw her hands up in the air before grabbing onto the silver of the chain John had given her; the one she'd never taken off, not even after everything she'd learnt about him. "See? No burning!"

Van pursed his lips as he watched. "It could be a dormant gene."

Chloe tilted her head at her photographer, eyes widening as her lips parted and realization hit hard and surprising. "You _want_ me to be a werewolf!"

"What?" he grumbled, folding his arms over his chest defensively. "Do you know how cool that would be?"

"Your definition of cool and mine are different," Chloe informed him, still shell-shocked as she shook her head at him, letting go of her chain. "I wouldn't want to be a werewolf."

"Why not?" Van wanted to know. "I think it sounds awesome. As a werewolf, there's super strength, speed, animal instincts and magnetism…"

"Your magnetism is just fine," she assured him.

Van flashed her a grin. "Your crush on me is always an ego booster."

"Why exactly would you need ego boosting?" Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "Did something happen at Dawn's party?"

"No." Van shifted his gaze away from her in a clear tell.

Sighing, Chloe pressed "print" and turned her chair completely towards him. "Was it the flowers or the necklace?"

"She liked them both," he assured her with a grumble, still gazing away from her. "I broke up with her."

"On her birthday? Why would you do that? Douchebags do that and _you're_ no douchebag so what happened?" Chloe asked in shock, knowing that Van mightn't ever say it out loud, but he was completely in love with Dawn Stiles.

"It was just a stupid high school romance." Van shrugged his shoulders in feigned carelessness. "I don't want to graduate having only ever had one girlfriend. Who does that? So lame."

Damn, he was hurt. "What did she do?"

He flinched visibly, gaze going to her before looking away once more. "She said that there was nothing going on between them, but I know better. He suits her more than I do, anyway."

"Who are we talking about?" Chloe asked, a little confused.

"Brent."

"Brent Greene?" Her eyes widened, recognizing the name of one of Whitney's football buddies. "Holly Dunham's boyfriend?"

"The very one." Van shrugged.

"But he's such an _ass_." Chloe made a face, not getting what any woman could really see in Brent. "I mean, look at how he always torments poor Eric for his crush on Holly when everyone knows Eric doesn't have a chance and his crush is harmless."

"Finally, a girl who isn't swayed over by his face!" Van's lips twitched slightly as his gaze finally returned to her. "Everyone else thinks because he's a footballer he should be given a free pass."

"So why do you think there's something between Brent and Dawn?" Chloe wanted to know.

"He's always following her around – he wouldn't leave her alone at the party." He sneered at the very memory. "She says it's just the effect she has on guys and that she hasn't given him any reason to believe that something will happen between the two of them, but a guy wouldn't be that pathetic in front of his own girlfriend if he didn't have some sort of evidence that the other girl has the hots for him too."

Chloe didn't know what to say except, "That sucks."

"Her loss." Van shrugged. "Wanna cheat on Arkin with me?"

The blonde blinked up at Van in shocked awe that he'd said that. "I'm not the cheating sort."

"Figured," he mumbled, not seeming at all surprised by the rejection. "There should be more girls like you. Girls nowadays are too slutty."

He was seriously hurting. Wow. "So what do guys do at this point?"

He gave her a raised eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Well, according to the few chick flicks I've watched, when a girl breaks up with someone, the girls all get together, eat ice cream and chocolate while watching sappy girly movies and bitching about guys in general and how they should all go lesbian just to not have to deal with guys anymore." Chloe reached out and grabbed her pen, tapping it a little nervously against the table. "So what's the Bro version of that?"

Van eyed her as if she was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen before chuckling, shaking his head. "I really have no idea. Guys aren't really all into discussing their feelings and shit. We basically just get on with life I suppose – hook up with someone else to prove they are still desirable and that the girl was obviously the one with the problems."

"Thus the offer to cheat on Greg," Chloe pointed out.

"Thus the offer," Van admitted. "Although you already know I'd find you attractive if I was single – which I am – so it wasn't only because I'm going through the motions."

"Duly noted." She nodded, a smile playing on her lips.

He sighed, pushing away from the table. "So, what's this I hear about you having a sister?"

Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean that has already gotten around, as well?" She shook her head. "You'd think the disappearance of so many of the men here would take preference in the rumor mill!"

"So you _do_ have a sister." Van tilted his head to the side. "That's got to be harsh, man."

"It's not something I can't live with." With a shrug of her shoulders she played off the situation as less intense than it really was. "Anyway, so far I'm liking her." She licked her lips. "She might be transferring to Smallville High. She actually borrowed my car to do some errands and she'll be picking me up after, so you might meet her."

"Blonde? Brunette? Redhead?" Van asked curiously.

"Brunette with brown eyes," she answered easily. "She's younger than me, but taller. Very pretty…" She narrowed her eyes at Van's contemplative expression before shaking her finger at him. "No rebounding on my sister."

He reached out and grabbed her finger, grinning. "Your jealousy is just so adorable."

The blonde rolled her green eyes in amusement and yet it died the moment the burning finished on her computer and a dvd popped out. "I have an appointment to get to before Diana picks me up. You think you can get this week's The Ville from Justin tomorrow? He hasn't been coming around as much as he used to."

"Wonder why." There was dark amusement in Van's eyes as he shook his head and grabbed his backpack. "Consider it done, boss." And with that and a salute he was gone, whistling to himself.

"I never got half as much mouth from Pete." Chloe shook her head, amused, before thoughts about Pete and the dvd in front of her drained the smile from her face.

Right now wasn't the time to worry about Pete, though. He had his parents, and Lana and Nell to look out for him.

Now, she had to worry about something else. The blonde grabbed the dvd and locked her computer before slipping out of the Torch and locking the door as well. She moved through the near deserted hallway, ignoring the few remaining students around her as she steeled herself for what she was going to do now, ignoring the part of her that said she should have taken Whitney on his offer to do this for her. She was a big girl; she didn't need a boy to protect her. Then again, that was pride and according to Mrs Ross: "pride cometh before the fall".

Thankfully her inner monologue kept her busy until she reached the entrance to the locker room. She took in a deep breath before pushing her way inside, knowing that it would be empty. Still, she gazed left and right as the door swung closed behind her, the blonde taking in a deep breath as she walked passed the lockers towards the Coach's office, able to hear Coach Arnold arguing with someone before slamming the telephone down harshly.

Great.

He was already in a bad mood.

Gathering her courage, the girl pressed onwards and knocked on his door, opening it before he had a chance to tell her to go away, stepping inside. "Coach Arnold."

He gazed up at her, frowning. "No time for a damned interview, girl. I've got people coming. Go away."

The office smelt of burnt…something. Maybe wood. A little plastic.

Licking her lips, Chloe squared her shoulders. "I'm not here for an interview, and believe me, I won't take up much of your time."

He sent her a nasty look. "What the hell do you want?"

"There's no easy, nice way to say this," she admitted, taking a couple of steps towards him before flinging the dvd onto his desk. "If you continue tormenting those boys, I'm going to make this video of you doing your best Firestarter impression go viral."

He went still before his body started to tremble, his face going red with his barely uncontrolled anger. "Who the hell do you think you are you, little bitch?"

"Someone with video proof that could make you the government's newest little experiment if you don't start acting like a human being." Her courage was a total bluff.

Coach Arnold grabbed the dvd and clasped his hand around it tightly, fire erupting, burning the dvd slowly. "I'm gonna roast your sorry ass." He stood and threw the flaming clump at her viciously, seeming to ignore the burn marks on his palm from where the fire had erupted around the dvd. Apparently he could control fire, but was vulnerable to its effects…good.

Chloe fought the dark magic bubbling in her. Instead, the blonde twirled out of the way, the remains of the dvd hitting the door behind her and melting against the metal. She turned around in time for his knuckles to collide with her jaw, sending her to the ground as the furious man stood over her. "You're such an idiot."

"What did you say?" he snarled.

"Attacking a student – a girl – in school?" She raised her gaze up at him, giving him a little smile despite the pain in her jaw. "You're seriously dumb."

He roared, small fires erupting all around them in his office as he made to kick her.

Chloe rolled out of the way and got to her feet, bringing her hand to her cheek. "So I guess negotiations are over?"

"ENOUGH!" he snarled, the door behind her catching on fire, blocking her way out.

"You know, when I imagined this, I didn't realize there'd be so much fire." She was rambling in nerves, hoping that she was just being a wise-ass, keeping that eternal smile on her face as her gaze remained on him. "How exactly are you planning on explaining this to Principle Kwan?"

"Accidents happen," he replied without much care before the walls all around them caught on fire from the ground, crawling up across the ceiling.

Chloe gulped, eyeing around her in growing worry. "One question before we go back to me quipping and you snarling: how exactly do you expect to get out of here yourself?"

He didn't answer, but his eyes widened, and when the ground around him began catching on fire, Chloe got the terrifying feeling that he mightn't be as in control of his pyrokinetic ability as they both assumed.

Chloe backed away from the fire that beginning to consume the floor, just like Coach Arnold was; a wall of fire separated the two of them as smoke began to become an issue, clouding the room and making it harder to breathe.

Suddenly Coach Arnold chuckled, turning and heading towards the window. He wedged it open, eyeing the opening before turning to smirk at her over the smoke before climbing through… and closing it behind him.

The asshole.

Trapped within the growing blaze, Chloe realized that she hadn't really thought this one over all that well. But, to be honest, she hadn't thought that he'd destroy his office and the whole sports section of the wing. It was why she figured it would be a safe place to confront him.

Her pendant trembled against her heart, the blonde reaching to wrap her hand around it, remembering the day John had given it to her and told her to never take it off. It belonged to the Firstborn females. It was important. It had to be. Why else would he act the way he had about it?

Diana had said that he'd left Smallville to go to Chance Harbor because Cassie had found the Balcoin medallion, which he'd used to trap the powers of other witches in order to amplify his own.

Chloe wondered if this pendent was somehow similar.

Tightening her grip on the pendent, Chloe closed her eyes, forcing her fear down as she concentrated, wanting to get out.

The sound of a door opening behind her caused the blonde to turn and open her eyes. The previously closed door was now open, giving her a way out.

Smiling brightly despite the pain in her jaw, Chloe rushed out of the inferno as the ground she'd previously been standing on caught on fire.

The blonde hurried out of the locker room and reached to pull the fire alarm, the siren loud and deafening as it blared all around the school.

"What's going on?" a voice asked behind her.

The blonde turned to see Principle Kwan and… Jason… hurrying towards her. "I, uh, I saw smoke – there's a fire in there."

"Coach Arnold!" Principle Kwan's eyes widened. "He's expecting us!" He turned to Chloe. "Call the firefighters!" And with that he raced into the locker room.

Jason raised an eyebrow at her.

She raised one right back at him before motioning to the doors. "I have a phone call to make."

The doors opened once more as Principle Kwan ran out, coughing. "He's – he's not in there. He must have been smoking again! I've told him not to smoke inside! There were always burn marks and the scent of smoke in there – I knew this would happen! Damn it!"

Relief filled her at the easy explanation for what was going on. The blonde was in the middle of dialing and passed the phone to Principle Kwan so he could report what was going on.

Smoke began to creep in from under the door.

"Fire extinguisher!" Principal Kwan declared to no one, passing her back her phone before racing off.

Chloe felt a little bad for just standing there and watching him go, but she had more important matters to discuss. Turning to Jason, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"How did the fire really start?" He countered before clearing his throat and stepping closer. "Are they gonna find a body in there?"

Her eyes widened. "Why do you automatically assume I killed someone?"

He raised an eyebrow.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't kill anyone." A sigh escaped her lips before she winced, bringing her hand to her throbbing jaw. "I should have, though."

The smoke was beginning to grow denser and Jason lowered his hand to the middle of her back, leading her away. "So I'm assuming you and the Dabbler got into some sort of argument that got… heated."

She tried to glare at him for the pun, but it was a good one. The girl reluctantly smiled up at him. "He's a real hothead."

Jason grinned down at her before shaking his head, a sigh escaping his lips. "Why did you straight out tell Lex you were the Firstborn?"

As Chloe stared up at Jason, she began to wonder if he'd known and hadn't told his friend. The thought was tantalizing. "Because I need him."

Jason eyed her before shaking his head, running lean fingers through his sandy blonde hair. "You don't seem to realize that the moment these Trials end – so does any freedom you've had up to this moment."

"Why do you care?" she countered, the smoke beginning to sweep across the darkened halls, none of the lights turned on. "I don't know much about this pact, but what I do know is that I basically belong to the Circle, so that would mean I belong to you."

He nearly tripped at that, the sandy-blonde casting her a wide-eyed look before turning her gaze away from her as he brought his hand to his mouth in a curious cough. "Lex wants me to confirm that despite everything, your… lunch date… is still going to go ahead."

"Now more than ever." She flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulder as she led them towards the Torch, the sound of sirens drawing closer. "We have a lot to talk about."

He shrugged, shucking his hands into his leather jacket's pockets, staring ahead of him as they walked.

"Are you… Did I…?" she trailed off, not exactly sure how to put this as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. Slipping the key into the lock and twisting her wrist, the girl pushed the door open, closing the door after Jason had slipped in after her.

"Am I enthralled?" He seemed to have figured out her question, turning his back on her as he headed towards what had interested Lex before; the Wall of Weird. "Not anymore."

"Not anymore?" She followed him, fascinated and a little horrified to realize that yes, she had enthralled him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I was enthralled, but I'm not anymore." He kept his gaze on the article of the mysterious lights that had hovered over Smallville for three whole nights before disappearing without a trace. "With all the fighting and adrenaline during the fight, my body cleansed itself completely of any trace that might have remained."

Disappointment jolted through her body and yet Chloe suppressed it as she stared at the same article he was staring at. "I didn't mean to enthrall you – just thought you should know that. When I – When we – I didn't even know that I could do that."

"I know." He nodded, gaze still resolutely in front of him. "I just have one question."

"And what would that be?" She turned towards him, not at all ready to have him yank his hand out from his pocket and flick some sort of powder into her face. The blonde sputtered as she coughed, wiping at her face. "What the – Is this glitter?" And then she recognized it, her eyes widening in shock and confusion. "Why-?" But the rest of her sentence died as she could feel the same uncontrollable desire and need she had in Crouch End; her body burning as she found herself moving towards him resolutely, the sandy-blonde watching her approach and yet not doing anything himself. "_You asshole_," she whispered before pressing up on her toes and reaching up for his jacket's lapels, pulling him easily down by them. Their lips hovered, so close to touching, her green gaze raised to his hazel before shutting when she closed the distance between them.

Like before with Lex, this was against her will. She had no control whatsoever as her lips began to move against Jason's and his against hers, but a part of her liked this because it meant that she could kiss him without the whole enthralling thing happening. Her mother wanted her to enthrall every single male member of Lex's Circle, and even the female if possible. And yet, Chloe just wasn't comfortable with the idea or concept of having these grown individuals enthralled to her every desire like some sort of puppet. She'd seen Legend of the Seeker and Kahlan had not seemed to like it at all. It'd been a hindrance to her whole relationship with Richard, so Chloe…

...lost all thought when Jason's arms wrapped around her, one around her waist pulling her tighter to him, and the other cupping the back of her head, fingers clenched deep in her hair as he angled his head downwards and nearly lifted her off of her feet as he kissed her deeper. His teeth nibbled at her bottom lip before soothing the tenderness with his tongue, separating his lips from hers as he placed soft kisses up her tender jaw. Reaching her ear, Jason's voice was breathy, a little painful, as he whispered, "_Damn it_."

He tried to pull away, but in her state it made Chloe terrified and desperate, the blonde pushing him back hard, the unexpected blow causing him to stumble backwards into the table, barely keeping from falling as he ended up sitting on it. "What the-?"

Chloe wasn't the sort to blame magic, but there was no other reason for it in her mind as she somehow ended up giving a little leap and ended up straddling his lap, her mouth finding his immediately as she attacked his lips with her own. It felt more like a mission to conquer than a kiss to her; relishing and devouring his groan as his hands clamped down on her hips and pressed her hard against him so she could feel what she was doing to him.

It was so forbidden, so risky, to do something like this in a place like this with firefighters and a raging inferno in the building, and yet when Chloe began feeling the effects of the pixie dust begin to wear off, she grew frustrated and terrified because, damn it, she didn't want to stop! But she had to, because she still had no control over whether she enthralled someone or not, and she doubted that Lex would find her offer of an alliance that genuine if she re-enthralled his right hand man at the first opportunity she got.

She reached into his jacket pocket, looking for the pouch that he had to have inside with more of that powder.

Jason went still immediately as he yanked away from her, sitting her down roughly on the surface of the table next to him and jolting away from the table as if he'd been electrocuted.

Chloe could feel the last of the effects fading, leaving her a mess; the blonde's chest rising and falling with her breath, her thighs trembling and rubbing together, her eyes raising to meet his darker hazels in near desperation.

"It wasn't supposed to go this far," he whispered to himself, obviously a mess as well, breathing hard, an obvious strain against the front of his pants. "I just – I – go home, Chloe. It's not safe out here tonight." And with that he stormed to the door and stalked out of it, slamming the door behind him as he left.

Chloe remained there, seated on the table, feeling like a damned fool.

Obviously this had been some sort of test to see if she could enthrall someone if that pixie dust was involved – and she'd fallen for it and would have done something she would have regretted if Jason hadn't stopped her.

Chloe covered her face with her hands in shame and bent over, telling herself not to cry.

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It was the hardest thing Jason had ever done just to walk to his car and away from that school. The firefighters seemed to have gotten to the fire in time to keep it from spreading to the rest of the school but that section was completely destroyed. Not that any of this really registered in Jason's mind. He kept on reliving what happened inside the Torch; the feel of her hands, the sound of her whimpers, the taste of her lips and skin – and it was all he could do not to turn around!

When Lex had given him the job to ascertain whether Chloe could enthrall anyone if it was against her own will, Jason had taken the mission with mixed feelings. One part of him felt it was taking advantage of the girl and yet the other side of him wanted to know what it was like to kiss her without any of her magic involved making him like it. He'd wanted to know if what he'd felt every time they'd kissed – had been close to each other – had just been the product of her enthrallment on him.

And as he stumbled away he now knew for sure.

It was the girl.

Gods damn it!

It was the _girl._

He couldn't blame the enthrallment anymore because while it did factor heavily, even without it, he was battling the intense desire and need this girl gave him.

Jason leaned hard against his car, casting a gaze in the direction of the boarded up window to the Torch. With the door closed, no one would be able to see what they were doing and with all the commotion in the sports wing, no one would even think to look in on the Torch, especially if the lights were off…

A car drove up, Diana Meade in the driver's seat.

That was enough to calm his passions and remind him that it was in no way proper for him to stalk back into that school, into that room, and ravage the brunette's sister.

Especially not when there was the obvious enthrallment to consider.

It bothered him though, how little the enthrallment really mattered to him.

Shaking his head, he gave Diana a little nod when she finally noticed him. Jason then slipped into his car and started the engine, speeding out of that parking lot as if the devil were on his heels.

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She was a master of control… or of ignoring her issues. Either way, it worked and Chloe was off of that desk and logged onto the computer, forgetting all about Jason Teague – or at least trying to. She immersed herself into readying tomorrow's issue (which was already finished, but she ignored that fact) and it was only the smell of smoke that made the blonde look up. She'd smelt it for a while but had figured that it was residue from the fire in the sports wing, and yet as the scent got stronger and stronger, Chloe looked up and realized that the wall behind her was on fire. One glance towards the door proved that the handle had been melted shut, locking her in.

Oh great.

Apparently the firefighters hadn't been as thorough as they'd thought.

"Coach Arnold?" Principle Kwan could be heard asking from the other side of the door. "What are you doing? There's smoke coming from inside there! Miss Sullivan?! Are you in there?"

"Help would be appreciated!" she yelled out.

"I'll call back the fire-" And then there was a loud thudding sound and all was quiet.

The walls all around her caught on fire in rapid succession, bleeding down to the floor.

Chloe climbed up rapidly onto her table, gazing around her in shocked horror until she saw her Wall of Weird.

It was destroyed.

All those years of work, of research.

"You're going to die now," Coach Arnold told her through the door. "And I'm going to stick around and make sure it happens this time."

"Chloe?" Diana could be heard on the opposite side of the room, pounding on the wood nailed broken window. "Chloe!"

She'd told Diana to knock on that when she arrived so Chloe would know she was there and could go out to meet her and give her a tour of the place. So given the fact smoke was pouring out through the little cracks, she could understand Diana's fear.

"Say goodbye to your little friend." Coach Arnold's voice sounded strained.

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned towards the window. "DIANA! RUN! GET AWAY FROM THE BUILDING! _NOW_!"

The blonde slammed her palms down on the counter, closing her eyes tightly, trying to recreate that shield – and then the room exploded as if someone had thrown a super-sized Molotov within. The force of the explosion caused the wood on the window and the door to shatter completely as it shot out like stakes, the wall cracking visibly, the ground breaking up and the roof crying out.

And then there was silence. Chloe was still on the intact table, fine despite the destruction all around her.

She couldn't see the barrier this time, but could feel it surrounding herself and the table, a little chuckle of relief escaping her lips as she gazed around her at the magnitude of the destruction.

Stepping carefully off of the table, Chloe raced out of the room, the bottom of her shoes sticking slightly to the ground from having been melted slightly by the heat. She nearly jumped through the doorway, pausing in shock when she saw the sight before her. Coach Arnold must have been leaning against the door to perform his magic within because when it exploded outwards, the jagged pieces of wood pierced through his entire body, the dead man's feet catching on fire.

A little behind him, still unconscious on the floor, was Principle Kwan. He seemed fine, his position flat on the ground having saved his butt, but the fire was beginning to make its way down the hallway.

Hurrying to the principal, Chloe grabbed his arms and began dragging him down the hall as fast as she could, which really wasn't that fast, but thankfully the firefighters must have seen that explosion because they were back on their way, their sirens loud and close. She concentrated on dragging Principle Kwan, coughing as the smoke began to get thicker, the school hotter and the flames closer.

The sound of hurried footsteps tapping loudly on the tile caused her to look behind her, eyes widening. "Diana?"

Her sister rushed towards her and Chloe dropped her hold on Principle Kwan as Diana wrapped her arms around Chloe in a terrified hug.

"_I thought you were dead_." Diana's voice was thick with emotion as she hugged the blonde tightly, almost afraid to let go.

Chloe's eyes prickled and there seemed to be a frog in her throat, the girl only able to hug back, only now letting her fear manifest as she clung to the taller girl.

Firefighters rushed in, grabbing Principal Kwan and getting him out of there before ushering the girls out and going to battle the flames.

Chloe and Diana pulled away, following the firefighters out of the school and into the parking lot. The girls were covered by blankets as they leaned against Chloe's car, watching the firefighters slowly lose control of the raging inferno – which consumed the whole school. Apparently Coach Arnold really had given it his all this time and there was nothing that could put out his swan song.

Thankfully, the rest of the students had been gone by then and the little faculty who'd been around were able to get out on time.

The janitor was gonna have one hell of a mess when he came in the morning though.

"Was this a Trial?" Diana wanted to know softly.

"Nah." Chloe shook her head. "This was me being proud and thinking I could handle everything on my own." She tightened the blanket around her. "Obviously I need to start relying more on other people, especially when they offer." She gave a little groan. "Whitney's gonna _kill_ me!"

Diana sent her a slightly amused look. "He can be intense, huh?"

"It's the Quarterback in him; he really can't help it." She sighed.

"You know… when I first realized something was going on – my first thought was that Jason was behind it," the brunette admitted a little wryly. "I don't trust him or Lex and then I see him driving away and then smoke starts coming out of your room…"

"Nope. He had nothing to do with this." She sighed, shaking her head, lips tingling with a reminder of their kiss. "He pixie dusted me, we did a lot of kissing and both figured out for sure that when I have no control over the kiss, I can't enthrall anyone." She pursed her lips. "Not too sure how to feel about the fact that they know that now."

"You two –?" Diana blinked.

"I was a hussy." Chloe confirmed with a groan. "It didn't go further than making out, but still, I reached for more pixie dust and he stopped me. How embarrassing is that?"

Diana eyed her curiously before a little smile tilted her lips. "Well, at least he was gentleman enough to stop you before you could do something more than kissing. Most guys wouldn't do that."

"Most guys wouldn't pixie-dust you just to get a kiss." And then she thought about it and knew she had to take that back. "Well, it doesn't excuse his actions."

"Not at all," Diana agreed completely before sending Chloe a little sideways glance. "Is he a good kisser?"

"Diana!" Chloe gasped in mock horror before smiling a little. "Yeah."

"I knew it. He has nice lips." Diana grinned.

"He does," Chloe agreed, laughing softly, shocked that she could.

With everything that had happened tonight, she should be a nervous, crying wreck and yet here she was laughing.

The blonde watched her sister silently as the brunette eyed the fire-consumed building.

Diana felt the gaze on her, turning dark eyes from the inferno to the blonde, curious. "What?"

"I could get used to having a sister," Chloe whispered before leaning her head against Diana's shoulder.

Diana went stiff for a second before slowly resting her head sideways against Chloe's. "Me too."

The girls stood there in silence, wrapped in the blankets, until the school came crumbling down.

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**TBC**


	29. The Art of War

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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The party had been a success the night before, mostly because people wanted to get a look at Moira Sullivan after all these years ("She doesn't look like she's aged a day!"), wanted to scope out how Gabe was truly reacting to his Prodigal Wife ("He's such a good man! If I were him, I wouldn't have let her back into the house much less accepted her back like he did!") and were also there to try and figure out more about Diana ("So, has anyone figured out if she's Moira's child or Gabe's? Most probably Moira's, right?"). And then, when news hit that a psycho Coach Arnold burnt down the school, trying to kill Chloe, Principle Kwan and everyone still inside... Well, then there were even more things for the guests to talk about. ("I never liked that man – and poor little Chloe Sullivan! She's been having terrible luck lately!")

Lex and Jason had made brief appearances at the party, mingling with the people of Smallville, and Chloe was relieved that neither of them tried to talk to her. Jason especially was ignoring her and it annoyed the hell out of her given the fact that he'd started everything. But other than a hello to their (reluctant) host's daughter, Lex and Jason completely ignored Chloe the rest of the night as if she didn't have a lunch date with them the next day.

And that was something she grumbled about over and over for the rest of the night to a sympathetic Diana and unsympathetic Whitney. When Clark and Greg had arrived, she'd finally just put it behind her and officially introduced her sister to her friends… and wasn't the least bit surprised at how welcoming the boys were (Greg ridiculously so) because Diana was beautiful, so it'd been expected.

"Men." Chloe rolled her eyes, sitting in front of the computer in Potter's Potts the next morning.

"Boys, you mean." Diana snickered from where she was sitting on the counter, fingers trailing softly over the petals of the carnation in her hand. "None of them are men."

Chloe's lips twitched with dark amusement at that. "Don't let them hear that. Especially Greg."

"He's a fun one." Diana laughed, shaking her long, silky dark haired head. "Can't take him or anything he says seriously, but he's fun."

"So, no romance blossoming?" Chloe teased.

Diana raised an eyebrow at her. "I have terrible luck with men, so no thank you." She sighed, twirling the flower in her hand. "First, the only guy I have ever truly loved; my boyfriend, who I thought was my soulmate, was actually destined in the stars to be with Cassie."

Chloe looked up at that, shocked. "Cassie stole your boyfriend?"

"No." Diana shook her head. "I let him go because his father told me they were destined to be together, and they were – for a time."

"What happened?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Apparently the whole "destined in the stars" thing was a curse and once they actually had sex, it meant that one of the Circle would die – and Jake started dying right after from the curse." Diana frowned, remembering that time. "The only way they found to save his life was to drink a potion that killed their love for each other."

Chloe didn't know what to say because absolutely everyone had gotten the short end of the stick in that situation. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, water under the bridge." And yet Diana's smile was shaky at best. "I met Grant after that and just clung to the normalcy he offered me... And we both know how that ended."

"Yeah." Chloe nodded, reaching out to place her hand on Diana's knee. "I met you."

Diana's smile grew a little more genuine as she nodded and patted Chloe's hand. "So, obviously Grant wasn't all that bad."

Chloe grinned and would have agreed if the Skype hadn't begun calling out for her. The blonde turned towards the computer, her eyes widening. "Oh my god."

"What?" Diana's smile evaporated immediately.

"It's Pete!" Chloe exclaimed and hurried to accept the Skype call.

"Our brother Pete?" Diana slipped off of the counter and rushed behind Chloe to easily peer over her shoulder at the screen.

Nodding her answer, Chloe smiled brightly when the screen came up to show her childhood best friend... and half brother. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

He smiled at her, relief on his face. "Hey Chlo." His gaze went to Diana in confusion. "Uh, hi."

Chloe licked her lips before clearing her throat. "It's fine, she's – it's a lot to explain, but she's my sister. And a witch."

Pete went still, eyes wide on Diana. "You're a Balcoin too?"

Diana nodded.

Chloe's eyes widened. "You _know_."

"_You_ know?" Pete returned his dark gaze to the blonde. "Since when?"

"I only found out everything a couple of days ago," she admitted with a sigh. "My mother's back and she told me a lot." She bit her bottom lip. "She's the white wolf."

"Your mom?" Pete blinked, running his hand over his face. "Jesus. This is just – just when – our lives are like some sort of supernatural television series."

"Tell me about it," Diana muttered.

"How do you know?" Chloe pressed. "And how are you?"

"I'm fine," Pete assured her, leaning hard against the bed frame. "My parents broke down and told me everything after Nell and Lana caught up with us. I did not take it well. The place kinda suffered for it and we had to leave before we could get charged with criminal damage."

Chloe was relieved to know that Lana had found Pete. "What are your plans right now?"

"Here's lunch!" a chirpy voice declared as a door could be heard opening. "Are you talking to Chloe?" The bed bounced and Lana was suddenly there, smiling at Chloe and waving. "Hi, Chlo!"

"Hey Lana." Chloe smiled back at her.

"She knows," Pete offered.

Chloe'd figured. "Lana, meet Diana. She's Pete's and my sister."

Lana's eyes widened. "Hey, Diana."

"Hey." Diana nodded, resting her elbow on Chloe's shoulder. "You guys okay?"

"Yep, but it's sad that we had to get away from our families to be okay." Lana sighed.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Say what now?"

"You hadn't told them yet?" Lana asked Pete curiously.

He made a face at her. "I was about to." He turned his eyes on the screen. "Lana and I split from the adults for a while. They – we needed to a break from them and what they think is right and what we should do. So we're having a little... holiday... getting away from it all and escaping for a while." He sighed. "But we didn't want you guys still worried about us, and I – I wanted to – I didn't want you to not know."

Chloe smiled softly as she reached her hand out to the screen.

Pete mimicked her movement, his fingertips angled to mirror her touch.

Lana smiled tenderly at them.

Diana worried her bottom lip.

"How are things over there?" Pete asked, not removing his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am." Chloe smiled brightly at him. "Everything's the same. Nothing I can't handle." Hearing the door opening, Chloe smiled at Peggy before returning her gaze to the screen. "You two be careful, okay?"

"You too." Pete nodded.

"And tell the others we're okay," Lana declared.

"Will do," Chloe agreed, and waiting for them to end the conversation before logging off of Skype.

"Was that Lana's voice I heard?" Peggy wanted to know as she moved towards the back room.

"Yeah, she was just calling in to see how we were doing." Chloe nodded.

"Good to know they're okay." Peggy smiled before slipping into the back room.

Diana waited until Peggy was in the next room before speaking. "Why didn't you tell him the truth? About all the things that are going on? About the Trials? About the Luthors?"

"Pete's dealing with his own issues right now. I can't just ask him to come here and help me when he has to figure things out for himself." Chloe shrugged. "When he's ready, he's going to come back stronger than he was before and I can't take that away from him. He needs time. So I'll give it to him."

Diana gulped, licking her lips as she turned, pulling away from Chloe and leaning back against the counter. "You two are obviously close. I just – if he had wanted to leave and you knew of it, you're telling me that you wouldn't have tried to stop him? Wouldn't have begged him to stay because he was family and you needed him?"

"Of course not." Chloe snorted at the very thought. "If it's something that he needs, like right now, I'm going to give it to him and let him have what he needs. I'm not that selfish to only think about myself, Diana."

Diana didn't seem to have heard her, her mind obviously on some memory.

Chloe frowned slightly at the taller girl. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just having a bit of reverse Deja Vu."

"Reverse Deja Vu?" Chloe gave a confused little blink.

"Something that should have happened but didn't. Just ignore me." Diana gave her a weak little smile before the sound of a motorcycle could be heard revving at the front of the shop. "He's here already?"

"You sure you're okay doing this for me?" Chloe asked, not wanting the other girl to feel forced into something. "I can do it later on tonight. It's no problem."

"Nah, it'll keep me from being bored." Diana grinned. "Plus, I love planning parties, so this will be fun." She grabbed her bag and went around the counter. "I'll call you if I have any questions, but your list was really detailed and I think I get what you want." She backed away before stopping. "You sure you wanna have lunch with Prince Smarmy and the Glitter Rogue by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," Chloe assured her. "Go, have fun, and boss Greg around for me."

"Fine." Diana nodded, obviously used to being the one who takes care of others in the Circle and not used to not doing so now. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Yes, mom," Chloe joked, trying for some levity.

"Brat." Diana stuck out her tongue at her, laughing as she backed out of the shop and could be heard telling Greg that a gentleman would have come inside and said hello instead of revving the engine like some sort of – something. Chloe didn't catch the last part of the scolding.

Peggy returned, pulling on an apron. "Diana's gone?"

"Greg came to pick her up. They're running some errands for me," Chloe responded.

"He's just going to be the first of a long line of boys, just you wait and see. She's so pretty." Peggy sighed with some envy. "I used to look like her and Lana... before having all my kids... and having my grandmother come to live with us."

Chloe had no idea what to say about that.

"Don't fall in love. Men only give you kids. Not their hearts." Peggy sighed, going behind the counter. "And never ever get married. That's the beginning of the end. My mother taught me that and it's why I've been smart enough never to do so myself."

The door opened and a man in a suit appeared. "Miss Sullivan? Your ride awaits."

Peggy blinked. "Your ride?"

"I, uh, have a lunch thing." Chloe threw her things into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. "Have a good evening!"

"Good evening?" Peggy snorted, going to the window immediately and staring out through the blinds. "Your ride's a limousine?" Her eyes widened. "Oh my god." She turned to Chloe. "There are only two men rich enough in Smallville to send a limousine and one of them has a daily standing order with us for a ridiculous amount of flowers! I was wondering why and now I know!" There were dollar signs practically ca-chinging in her eyes as she turned to Chloe. "Forget everything I've ever said to you against marriage." She went over to Chloe and grabbed her by her shoulders, giving her a little shake. "Seduce Jason Teague and make him put a HUGE diamond ring on your finger! With sapphires and rubies on top!"

Chloe just stared wide-eyed at Peggy. "I'm just going to have lunch with the two of them; it's not a date."

"Both of them?" Peggy closed her eyes with a little whispery gasp. "Youth is so wonderful." She opened her eyes once more, those dollar signs even more obvious. "You've got choices. Let them fight over you. They might even start a gift giving war and you can only win in that situation." She trembled slightly. "Fur. Prada." Peggy began fanning herself. "And to think, I can one day say that I used to work with Mrs Teague – or Mrs Luthor."

"I don't think that – you see-" Chloe eyed the woman, a little frightened by her intensity. "I haven't even turned seventeen."

"Wonderful! Your butt hasn't started to sag yet." Peggy grinned, giving the stiff girl a tight hug before shoving her towards the driver. "Go get him, girl! Get one of them for the rest of us!"

Chloe wondered if her utter bewilderment and shock was obvious on her face. She thought it might be because the driver looked sorry for her, and yet horribly amused with the whole situation.

She numbly walked to the limousine – which was attracting far too much attention – and slipped in when the driver opened the door for her. This was surreal and she felt uncomfortable the whole silent drive, chewing on her bottom lip and holding her bag to her chest. If Lex's endgame had been to make her uncomfortable and wary, it had worked.

When they finally pulled up to the front of the manor, there was a... butler... waiting outside for her.

"Miss Sullivan." The man took her bag from her. "Please follow me, Mr Luthor is expecting you."

"Only Mr – only Lex?" She cleared her throat, following the man into the house, wanting to yank her bag back from him but figured that would be rude.

"Yes, Mr Teague is out for the day," the butler announced, leading her through the halls of Luthor manor before opening a door to a large library. "Lunch will be served promptly."

Chloe stepped into the library, the door closing behind her, and while she was highly intimidated, the girl was also intrigued. She forgot for a second that she was meeting with Lex, going to the walls (which were built-in shelves for the millions of books) eyes widening in fascination as she realized that they were all books that dealt with the occult. There were hundreds of years' worth of research here at her fingertips and she felt seduced by the thought of all that knowledge so close at hand.

"We have a much more extensive library in our safe house. Most of these are reproductions of the originals, which are safeguarded there."

Chloe twirled around, finding Lex leaning against a desk, body long and lean, still wearing one of his suits but at least this one was slightly more casual than the others she'd seen him in. "You have a safe house."

"Of course." He nodded. "I'll show you it some time, along with the rarer books that I feel will deeply intrigue you."

Chloe gulped, before taking in a deep breath. "You're trying to seduce me."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even close to you."

The blonde's lips twitched. "You're an intellectual, just like I am. You know that for people like us, knowledge and learning more can be just as intoxicating as the carnal."

"The carnal," he echoed, one side of his lips curving in a crooked smile. "You speak like an old woman."

"You dress like an old man," she countered somewhat childishly.

He laughed though, apparently amused with her defiance. "I wondered if you would still come, all things considering."

"Of course I would, now more than ever," she replied, slowly making her way towards him. "If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril."

His eyes widened slightly, his smile growing more genuine. "Sun Tzu."

"The Art of War." Chloe reached around him and picked up the book resting on the desk, holding it between them. "So far, it's the only book I've seen here that isn't occult based."

"Some families have the Bible. Mine had this." Lex reached for the book and put it back.

"So I've figured out your game plan concerning me and I think it's the same as mine concerning you," Chloe confided, leaning forwards as she lowered her voice, Lex leaning in closer as well. "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."

Lex just stared at her in silence before that smile grew a little, the billionaire shaking his head. "If that's so, we're in an interesting predicament."

"That's one way of putting it." She pulled away, eyeing him. "I'm forced to work alongside you until these Trials are done but once they are, we'll be at odds because you think I belong to you."

"I know you belong to my family's Circle," Lex corrected easily. "The Balcoin Firstborn was pledged to the Luthor's Circle from before her birth, to stand by a Luthor and use any powers or unique gifts in a way that would benefit the Luthor family... and Circle." He reached his arm out for her. "Thing is, there was only one Luthor Circle back in those days."

"Your father's." Chloe raised an eyebrow as she looped her arm around his and let him lead her out towards the balcony which overlooked the gardens below, gardeners working vigorously to return them to their former glory.

"He and his Circle are expecting us to hand you over to them once we've ascertained your identity," Lex revealed as he gazed below. "Thing is, from the emails he's been spying on, he realizes that there are still too many leads for me to be sure who exactly the Firstborn is."

"You don't plan on handing me to your father." Chloe stared up at Lex, somewhat shocked by the manner of intrigue between his father and himself. "You plan on keeping me for yourself."

He stared down before turning his light blues on her and smirked. "For my Circle."

"That's what I meant." She blushed, annoyed with him and herself.

"There was a plan in place to force your allegiance to our Circle once you were found, before our parents could, and my half sister is pushing me to do exactly as we'd planned," he admitted casually, as if he wasn't referring to her enslavement. "But I've been giving this a lot of thought and I believe it would be a mistake to ensure you by force." His lips twisted. "No man likes having a woman pissed off at him... especially not if she's a Balcoin. There are stories about things like that and they never end well for the guy."

Chloe didn't know how to react to that.

"So, I've decided that while my father is still waiting for me to find out who the Firstborn is – I'm going to take the time to prove to you why you should willingly accept the binding to my Circle," he replied smoothly, leading her off of the balcony and back into the room.

"So, should I expect the flaunting of more books in my direction?" She raised an eyebrow, surprisingly enough good-natured despite it all as she let him lead her out of the living room and down the halls, the scent of something delicious in the air.

"Not just books," he promised.

Staring up at him in what she knew was open curiosity, Chloe couldn't help pointing out: "You sent Jason in to kiss me last night."

"To be completely fair, I sent him last night to follow through on his plan to dethrone Coach Arnold, except he got sidetracked and did not do it... but thankfully everything worked out on its own." He eyed her with a smirk. "He did have instructions to use the pixie dust I'd acquired whenever an ideal opportunity arose though, and apparently chose to instead follow through with that mission and not the one I'd assigned him," Lex clarified, a wry smile on his lips. "I have to admit I was surprised. He's usually much more level-headed."

"Well, he had an 'ideal opportunity'," she quipped, trying not to let how much this annoyed her show, and yet she knew it was. "Do you realize just how creepy that was? Ordering someone to kiss someone else?"

"Jason told me something similar. He was uncharacteristically snappy when he came back," Lex acknowledged curiously. "He informed me in no uncertain terms that that was the last time he was going to do anything similar for my research and curiosity's sake."

She didn't know exactly how to take that.

"Ah, lovely." Lex's light blues trained on something, smiling as he opened a door.

Chloe's eyes widened in shocked awe.

It was a green house with all sorts of flowers and vines growing wildly, and in the middle was a table set for two, a single candle lit in the middle, classical music playing softly.

The blonde slipped free from Lex and took a couple of steps into the greenhouse, staring around her at the exotic, beautiful flowers that filled the air with a soft, honey scent. "If you can't convince them, confuse them."

He chuckled softly behind her, closing the door and arriving at her side, his hand on the small of her back as he led her towards the table waiting for them. "Harry S. Truman."

Chloe sent him a little look over her shoulder as she allowed herself to be led to the table, more intrigued than ever.

He really _was_ trying to seduce her.

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**TBC**


	30. Dinner

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

To the person who keeps mentioning femslash/incest in this story, I want to make this utterly clear. There is none. People can be loving without it being sexual, especially when it involves family. Hopefully this clears things up for you.

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"So, what do you think is going on at that lunch meeting?" Diana couldn't help herself, worrying had always been an intricate part of her character and it was shining forth now, even as she was trying to decide whether to go for the plastic plates with floral patterns or the ones with the Avengers. (Greg was pushing hard for the Avengers.)

"Knowing Chloe?" Greg asked, "sneaking" a matching set of Avengers plastic cups into their cart. "She's got one pinned under her, wrestle mania style, leg twisted back and about to snap and the other crying for mommy as she verbally abuses him."

Diana looked up from her careful deliberation with a horrifying image of exactly the scenario Greg was painting, her lips twitching in reluctant amusement. "I'm being serious."

"Me too. Have you ever seen her pissed?" Greg snorted, passing her a couple of different packets of napkins, all of them suspiciously baring different superhero patterns on them, as he easily took the plates from her, "sneakily" putting the floral ones away before slipping the Avengers plates into the cart next to their cup counterparts. "Once, before she was awakened, Whitney pissed her off so badly that he got a baseball to the nuts." Greg looked a mixture of amused and horrified. "I'd known to be careful around her before then, but that just drove the issue home."

Diana raised an eyebrow, deciding that since they were definitely going with an Avengers theme... The brunette ditched all the napkins Greg had handed her and instead grabbed the ones with Loki on it, throwing them on top of the plastic plates. "No offense, but Lex and Jason aren't teenagers who have just awoken. They seem like the witch mafia or something."

"Witch Mafia. I like that." Greg grinned as they continued searching Party Mart. "And don't worry. If anything goes wrong, Whitney will feel it and let us know."

Diana thought about that a moment, gaze lowering to her palm where the Balcoin symbol and the winged serpent were side by side.

Greg eyed her before following her example, eyeing his winged serpent tattoo as well. "I have to say; thank god her avatar wasn't a cuddly bunny or something. There was no way even I could pull that one off."

Diana's lips twitched in amusement once more as she raised her dark gaze to him.

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"I've just lost any shred of respect I might have had for you." Pointing her fork at Lex, Chloe shook her head. "It was obviously a cover up."

Lex snorted, rolling his eyes. "If you're using the "found footage" of the alien autopsies, then you wouldn't be the first one to be duped by-"

"The government?" She totally ignored him, riled up and fighting for her point of view. "Aliens exist. They do."

"If there was intelligent life on another planet, don't you think that they would have made their presence known to us by now?" Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" Chloe scoffed. "If they're "intelligent" then they know that the moment we have proof of them, we're going to want to either fight them to "defend" ourselves – or steal their technology/knowledge!"

He eyed her in silence.

"Just think of the reverse engineering we could accomplish with their toothbrush, let alone a spaceship." Chloe was on fire as she put down her fork, completely forgetting about her food as her hands moved around with her passion for the topic. "It's why they were around all the time when we were no more than cavemen, because back at that time they knew we weren't developed enough to actually be a threat to them. Once civilization grew more advanced they understood that it was more and more risky to show their faces – and after Roswell they probably stopped visiting entirely – except for those hippie communities that live in isolation in the desert."

"Okay, I can admit that your theory isn't all together ludicrous-" Lex begun.

"Uh huh!" Chloe grabbed her fork and pointed it at him once more victoriously.

"But still you have to admit that we should have seen some sort of proof of life in space by now."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "They don't have to be from our galaxy. We could be the only ones in our own. But with their sophisticated technology, they could probably stay in cryostasis so they can travel around the entire universe – using auto pilot if they have to."

"We're just going to have to agree to disagree." Lex brought his napkin to his mouth, patting it to his lips before eyeing her. "We've spent the last hour arguing on the existence of fairies, leprechauns, manticores, basilisks and... aliens." He chuckled, shaking his head. "One of these things is not like the rest."

"We've also managed to skirt the issue that is the sole reason for this lunch," she agreed, taking a sip of her drink before putting her glass back down. "Or the issues. Because we have issues."

He nodded his head. "Which would you prefer for us to address first?"

"Well, how about explaining this pact my father made with yours?" She raised an eyebrow, leaning hard on the chair as she eyed him. "No one really knows anything about it on my side and I don't like going into things blind. I want to know exactly what the pact our fathers made has gotten me in the middle of... other than a power struggle between father and son, of course."

His lips twitched slightly with wry amusement. "You're very direct."

"Beating around the bush will take too long." There was naked determination in her greens. "I like being straight to the point and appreciate others being the same way with me."

"Likewise," he agreed with a serene little nod, resting his elbows on the table and drumming his fingers as he watched her. "I, John Balcoin do swear by lineage and blood, by magic dark and wild, to hand over to the Luthor Circle my Firstborn child. Whether male or female, take no mind, this oath I swear intending to bind, my Firstborn to the Luthor Circle given, in exchange for my successful mission. Lineage and blood, magic dark and wild, all within this Balcoin child, joined forever to the Luthor Circle from first awakening to eternal slumber, a living crystal to strengthen their numbers."

"A living crystal?" Chloe whispered, floored, trying to digest all she'd learned.

"It's a metaphor," Lex explained. "Crystals are amplifiers of our natural magic, they make us stronger. That is why he referred to you as one. Your powers would make any Circle stronger."

"What would happen if I don't want to be a part of any Circle?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have a choice." He leaned forwards on the table, eyeing her. "But you do have a choice as to whether you're part of a Luthor Circle that sees you as nothing more than a metaphoric crystal... or as a full fledged member."

"You try to sell yourself as this incredibly benevolent person who has always had my best in mind, compared to your devil father, and yet if your sixth member hadn't died before you found me, I think we might be having a completely different conversation right now." Chloe could see the emotion flicker through his eyes at the mention of Patricia Swan. Her father had informed her about the little John had told him about this Circle. "If we're going to work together, you're going to have to cut the bullshit. You don't have my best interest in mind. You just see me as a way to get one up on your father."

He was silent as he eyed her.

"I don't trust you, I'll never trust you, but so far you're the devil I know." She wanted this to be absolutely calm. "I'm going to find a way out of this pact, no matter what it takes."

"I can't stop you from trying," he admitted, yet looked fairly unconcerned about it. "And you're right. Had Patricia still lived, we would be having a different conversation at this moment, maybe no conversation at all."

She clenched her fists at her side as she held back the words her temper wanted her to snarl at him. "What was my original purpose?"

"Well, your magic's addictive under certain circumstances so you couldn't be trusted to perform magic at will. Our parents grew addicted to John's magic and after they were unable to – sample it, I suppose – they went into a very rough withdrawal stage." He snorted. "I had found a way to bind your magic so that it could only be used when I wanted it to be."

The thought horrified her.

"It's still better than what my father has planned for you." Lex eyed her seriously.

"And what would that be?" She dared him to show her something worse than having her powers restricted for only his use.

"He and his Circle plan on draining your powers and stealing them for themselves," Lex replied easily.

Chloe's eyes widened in horror. "What?"

"You can take a witch's magic away and while they'll always feel as if they're not whole, they'll survive." His gaze studied her face determinedly. "That won't work the same way for a Balcoin because what my father wants isn't your Circle magic, it's your Dark Magic – and that's just as much a part of you as your soul."

Chloe tightened her fists, refusing to let them begin to tremble. "How do I know you're not just scaring me into trusting you?"

"Ask your father, ask Gabe, if what I said is possible. He'll tell you it is." Lex tilted his head as he watched her. "And if he knows my father and what he's capable of, he knows that that would be my father's course of action."

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"Have you heard the news?"

Whitney looked up from where he'd been sitting out back, throwing a pigskin into the air, catching it languidly. "What news?"

Clark hesitated a second before sighing and going to sit down next to him on the fold out chair. "Apparently Lex Luthor is going to rebuild the school."

"He's really leaving this whole town indebted to him, huh?" Whitney sneered, shaking his head as he threw the football up in the air once more before catching it with ease. "I have a really bad feeling about this whole situation."

"Maybe it'll end up helping somehow." Clark was, as ever, an optimist. "I know that things seem to be really crappy right now, but they did help Chloe when those guys attacked her."

"That's going to come back and bite us in the butt somehow," Whitney warned, turning his blue orbs on the taller boy. "We lost a good number of men from Smallville in that fight and the women aren't buying this whole mass exodus story that's being spread. They have to know that something is being kept hidden, especially if they knew their husbands had magic."

"You think they're going to figure out it was us?" Clark gulped.

"I'm thinking," Whitney let out a hard sigh, "that soon it mightn't be safe for us here anymore."

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"So what are you proposing then?" Chloe finally asked, no longer sitting at the table. Instead she was standing with her back to the man still seated, green orbs observing the exotic flower vines crawling up the glass walls of the sunroom.

"Other than you picking my Circle?" he asked with dark amusement. She heard him stand, his chair pushing away from the table. "I am proposing that we work together as a team, that we get you through the Trials." There was a pause. "Who knows, you might enjoy working with my Circle."

Oh she doubted that. In the back of her mind, the fact that they only wanted her because she was a possession for them, a metaphoric crystal, would always be there.

"I wish us to be allies for now," he declared, closer behind her. "I will teach you all that you need to know and in return-"

"In return what?" She turned around to face him, gulping at the determination in his face. "What do you expect in return for helping me survive the Trials? My agreement to join your Circle?"

"No." He shook his hands, hands shucked into the pockets of his designer pants. "In return for our unconditional help, I want full and unlimited access to the study and research of your ability to enthrall witches."

That was not what she'd been expecting. "What?"

"I just want to learn more about it, and let's be honest, you need to as well." His eyebrow rose. "Or do you want to be unable to control when you enthrall someone?"

Oh, he was good. "So in return for your Circle's help – you want my complete cooperation when it comes to studying my ability to enthrall someone." She summed that up slowly, eyeing him. "What else?"

"That's it," he promised.

She didn't believe him.

It must have shown because his lips curled in a smirk, the man slipped forwards and reached out his hand towards her. "That's it."

The girl eyed his hand, worrying her bottom lip before slowly placing her hand in his.

Magic erupted from their clasped hands like an explosion rippling outwards, and yet both held on tighter, the Balcoin symbols on her palms tingling as she realized she'd just cemented a deal.

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Davis felt the magic ripple through him and he groaned as he brought his hand to his chest and buckled over.

Jason leaned hard against the wall, letting out a harsh breath as he raised his hazel gaze to the ceiling. "The fuck?"

"You felt that too?" Davis whispered, voice hoarse.

"Depends. You feel like you've been kicked in the gut by a pissed off donkey?" Jason quipped despite the pain.

"That about sums it up." Davis' dark eyes scanned the room before the pain finally began to fade away. "That – That's similar to the feeling I got when-" He then stopped, eyes widening.

"When what?" Jason made a face at his friend.

Davis straightened, paler than usual. "When the Firstborn first enthralled you."

Jason's eyes widened as he pushed from the wall. "Why would-?" And then his eyes narrowed as he stormed to where his jacket was, pulling it on. "That damned-!"

"Lex-" Davis began.

"He's fine," Jason snarled, interrupting, shaking his head as he stalked towards the door. "He's got everything planned, like always."

"Jason, I don't think he's been enthralled. I said it was similar to when you were enthralled, but that wasn't the same feeling." Davis caught up to his friend before he could race out. "This is something else."

"What else could be happening between those two all alone in that mansion?" And then a muscle jumped in Jason's cheek and he crossed over the threshold and slammed the door shut behind him.

Davis narrowed his eyes at Jason and his uncharacteristic actions. Lex was sure the enthrallment was gone from him and Davis had to admit that he believed so himself, and yet Jason wasn't acting his usual self. Sure, he was always a little more... charismatic... than the rest of them, but he was also the nice guy, the sweet guy, the level-headed one who was faithful to Lex.

It made Davis wonder if there was something more to this Firstborn.

What if the enthrallment wasn't exactly everything?

What if Jason was actually starting to develop feelings for her?

That worried Davis greatly, and he picked up his phone and dialed Lex.

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"Are you sure you're okay?" Whitney was on the phone with Chloe, some power having come over him like a hit to the gut moments before. "Then what the hell just happened and why is my star itching like a-?" He frowned, pacing the floor, listening to her. "You can't be serious. You should have thought things through a little more don't you think?" He made a little guttural sound. "Because it's Luthor!"

Clark eyed Whitney with worry and a little shame, because this used to be him and he'd let things become the way they were now. And then he'd been resentful of Whitney for something that wasn't Whitney's fault. He could see that now and it was why he was on a mission to make amends.

"Fine." Whitney kicked at a pebble on the ground. "If they lock you into some sort of slave agreement don't come crying to me." He narrowed his eyes. "No, I won't. I won't." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "Because you'd deserve it, that's why! I thought you were supposed to be the level-headed one!" He scratched at his palm before letting out a heavy sigh. "I know." He closed his eyes and nodded. "Fine." He looked annoyed at whatever he'd just agreed to. "With Clark. We're throwing a pigskin around." His gaze went to his watch and then he snorted. "Yeah, yeah, answer her call. See you later." He hung up and turned to Clark. "How could you be best friends with that woman for so many years without going insane?"

"What's she done this time?" Clark asked, almost a little amused at the put-upon look on Whitney's face.

"She's gone and made a deal with Luthor." Whitney threw himself back down, grumbling. "I'm not happy."

"Me neither."

Whitney chuckled a little darkly. "Finally, something we can agree on."

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"I'm fine Diana, really I am." Fingers trailing over one of the more exotic looking flowers, Chloe sent Lex a little look where he was on the phone with someone who was apparently annoyed with him for some reason, the bald billionaire telling this person to stay away from the mansion as he had an appointment and didn't want to see him until it was over. "I'll explain things when I see you later."

"Are you sure?" Diana pushed, and to be honest, it surprised Chloe that the girl cared this much. Sure, they were sisters, but they were still relative strangers to each other.

That wasn't to say that Chloe didn't feel a bond towards Diana, because she did. It was surprising because it was so strong. A part of Chloe wondered if it was because they were Balcoins and Balcoins seemed to stick together... Maybe it was because she was the Firstborn... She didn't know, but despite only having known her sister for a little amount of time, she'd quickly grown to care for her and knew that Diana felt the same.

"I'm fine. How are the preparations going?"

There was a pause before Diana sighed. "We have a theme."

"What's the theme?" Chloe blinked, intrigued.

Diana grumbled out the answer. "Avengers."

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"I know," the brunette complained in a whiny little voice. "But try telling Greg that."

"This might work though," Chloe admitted, swallowing down her desire to laugh. "The whole idea for this was to lighten the mood. Ironman might do that."

"At least I snuck in Loki."

Chloe smiled. "You _are_ my sister."

Diana gave a soft chuckle. "You sure you're okay?"

"I promise." The blonde nodded. "I'll see you guys in a bit, okay?"

"Okay." And with that Diana hung up.

Lex ended his call, obviously a bit annoyed with whomever he'd been talking to as he turned to face Chloe. "Where were we before our cells rung simultaneously?"

"Deciding our next move." She slipped back into her seat, eyeing him as she reached for her glass. "My mother wants me to enthrall you and Jason and anyone else who might pose something of a threat, and that sounds like something John would have wanted me to do as well." She took a sip of the drink before returning the glass to the table. "Thing is, I don't like the idea of kissing guys left, right and center and then having an army of infatuated zombies all around me. It doesn't sound like fun."

"My sister wouldn't agree with that." Lex chuckled darkly. "It's right up her alley."

"Well, I'm not your sister," she pointed out a little harshly before sighing. "And I have enough to worry about now without adding zombie love to my plate."

"They're thralls, not zombies," he corrected.

"Other than the need to taste flesh, aren't they the same thing?" she challenged.

There was a pause and then he smirked. "I don't know. They'd want to taste your flesh, too."

For a moment she didn't get it, and then she did, feeling the blush trail down her neck to her chest as she glared at him. "That's not what I – You know what? Forget it. You're not going to unbalance me." She finished the glass in one long gulp before resting the glass on the table once more. "If my mother tries to attack you after I tell her about our agreement, you can't kill her. I might need her."

"That's very cold, considering she's your mother," he observed.

"She left, and while she might have had good reasons to, it doesn't nullify the fact that I grew up without a mother and we don't have any sort of relationship whatsoever." Chloe knew she was being cold, but really didn't care. She had more important things to deal with right now. "Do you know anything about the Balcoin Trials?"

"I'm not a savant on the topic, but I believe that between your mother's knowledge and my own, we should be able to flesh out a somewhat accurate idea of what we should expect." He eyed her thoughtfully. "There should be a formal invitation to the event though, especially since you passed the entrance exam. You'll probably be given a few days to relax and recuperate from the ordeal because you'll need your strength."

"That night – Why were you and Jason in Miller's Field?" she finally asked, wanting to know.

"To be perfectly honest, we were there because that's where your Circle passed my test. We wanted to get a feel of the land, the residual power in the ground, let the ash tell its tale." He shrugged. "And then things got fun and we decided to join in."

"Fun." That word just seemed so wrong. "Is this fun for you, Lex?"

"Not fun." There was a pensive expression in his blue orbs. "Highly educational, maybe."

"Talking about education..." The blonde raised an eyebrow. "When would you like to begin our tests?"

"As soon as you're comfortable enough to kiss me," he replied pointblank.

"What?" She gawked; there was no other way to describe it. "Why?"

"Because I have already documented all I can from a third party perspective and to truly be able to understand the enthrallment, I need to experience it myself. I've been told your kiss gives a high that's better than Devil's Spirit and, to be honest, I find that hard to believe and want to experience the effects of the enthrallment for myself." Lex eyed her curiously. "It will only be once, for science."

"A scientific witch." There was something funny about that, the blonde chuckled softly, unable to look him in the eyes any longer.

"I believe that if you master the sciences and the craft then you have already mastered much of the world, if not most of it," Lex declared serenely.

"You're the World Domination type, aren't you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not." He sneered. "That would be too tedious a job. There are too many idiots in this world and I have no desire to be their king."

Well, he had a point there.

"I'm not kissing you tonight." She didn't know why she went back to that topic, unable to keep the whole situation out of her head. "But when I do, it will only be once and only for science."

"That's all I want or expect," he replied with a slight shrug.

"Good." She nodded, clearing her throat loudly as she reached for the pitcher filled with drink, pouring herself some more, her throat suddenly parched.

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TBC


	31. Purple and Pink

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"What are we going to do about the dead witches?" Chloe wanted to know as she followed Lex towards the front door, eyebrow raised. "People are not going to-"

He stopped her with a calm "leave that in my hands".

She eyed him before nodding, the blonde waiting for him to open the front door before slipping outside and turning towards him, holding her hand out between them stiffly. "Let's hope we don't kill each other before the Trials are over."

His lips twitched in amusement (she seemed to amuse him a lot) and turned her hand around before he brought it to his lips in a kiss. "It's not going to be boring."

She frowned at him, eyes narrowed slightly. "This whole gentleman thing of yours isn't winning me over. I'm not a regency novel protagonist, a mere shake will do." She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled on it before giving it a couple of shakes before trying to let go, only to find his grip tight. "What?"

Lex's gaze was locked over her head at something, his eyes narrowed somewhat, something obviously bothering him, before his blues lowered to her face. "This wouldn't be an ambush, would it?"

"What?" The blonde turned, finding a white wolf sitting on the hood of Lex's limousine, eyes glowing, obviously pissed. "I didn't tell her I was coming here. Just let me deal with this." She shrugged off his hold and motioned distractedly towards the door. "Go on." The blonde then hurried down the steps towards the limousine. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

The white wolf snarled, jumping off of the front of the limousine, the sound of her claws messing up the paint job painful.

"I don't speak wolf."

The wolf shook its head before its skin began to ripple, heat coming off of her in visible waves.

Chloe turned her head away, bringing a hand to cover her face, and when the heat died away and she looked back, she was staring at her mother, who was naked except for the pelt around her.

"You foolish girl," Moira snapped, storming towards her, fingers still somewhat claw-like in her fury.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked once more, ignoring the scold. "You're supposed to be at home looking after your husband."

"I'm looking after my daughter. I knew you'd do something foolish just to "prove" your control over your own life, but don't you get that you're playing right into their hands? His hands?" Moira snapped, throwing her arm out towards the Mansion. "You made a deal with him. With _him_!"

"Can Lionel Luthor drain my Dark Magic from me?" Chloe could see the way her mother's eyes widened. "Well? Can he?"

Moira finally nodded, pulling her pelt around her harder. "Yes." Those clear eyes went to the house angrily before returning to her. "But so can he."

Chloe froze.

"What do you think he was doing the night of the attack? That distinctive purple colored magic he used?" Moira grumbled, letting out a harsh breath as she ran her hand over her face. "It's a rare ability that only an elite few Luthors have ever inherited throughout their family history, but Lionel did and so did Lex. It's one of the reasons why your father went to Lionel's Circle for help and not any other."

Chloe felt so very naive at that moment, taking a step back.

Moira sighed, hanging her head before staring up, the harsh expression gone from her face and replaced with tiredness. "What was the deal?"

Chloe's gaze lowered slightly. "He'll help me through the Trials and I let him research my ability to enthrall other witches."

There was a pause and then Moira sighed once more. "It's not that bad of a deal actually, I was afraid you'd bound yourself." Her lightest of blue eyes trained on the mansion behind her daughter before going to the blonde. "I know you don't trust me and I know I shouldn't really expect otherwise, but I need you to understand that I have your best in mind more than he does. More than any of them do. I'm your mother and even if I can't express it properly and even if you never believe it, I do only want the best for you." She raised her chin, gaze hard. "And I'll be the biggest bitch and make you hate me for the rest of my life if that means it'll help you."

Chloe stood there, unable to look at her mother, swallowing down the lump of frustration and emotion lodged in her throat. She didn't know what to say or how to react, pushing back the sting of tears and refusing to show weakness to anyone who might be watching. Every little girl wanted a mother who loved her and protected her, someone to look up to, but while these were the words had always desperately wanted to hear she still didn't know if she could trust this woman.

She wasn't sure she should trust Diana.

She loved her father and she knew he'd die for her, but he'd lied and kept so much from her that she couldn't blindly trust him either.

Clark was her friend, had always been and she loved him dearly, but he'd let her down in the past.

Greg – he was funny and she liked him, but she didn't know him well enough to be able to say she could truly trust him.

A blind person could see that she couldn't trust Lex or Jason or anyone else from their Circle.

Who did that leave her with?

The star on her palm tingled and the blonde licked her lips as she turned her hand in such a way that she could stare at the star, her fingers rubbing against it.

A sports car drove up the long winding driveway.

"So now that we've decided we're all going to have to work together no matter who doesn't like it, I'd like to point out that while I do have the ability to drain, I have no intention of using it against her," a voice declared behind Chloe. The blonde turned around to see that, while she'd heard a door closing, Lex hadn't gone in, instead leaning against the closed door watching them intently.

The car door opened and Jason slid out, looking between everyone in silent appraisal of the situation.

"And why not?" Moira, having apparently known Lex was there the whole time, narrowed her gaze on him, ignoring Jason's arrival. "Why not just suck out her dark magic and appropriate it for your own?"

"Because she's worth more to me alive." Lex was blunt and to the point, speaking as if about some sort of object and not the living, breathing girl standing right in front of him. "My father is a great man, but I have a greater vision than he does. She's not just a well of dark magic that needs to be sucked dry." Lex pushed away from the door, eyes never leaving her mother's. "She can enthrall witches – a power that would not be transferred over to whoever took her powers from her. She's smart and notices things that a girl her age shouldn't – that Wall of Weird she compiled, the information – she's a fellow scientist that I believe I can work alongside. She's also the first female Firstborn in centuries, and the thought of being able to actually study her and her magical growth is fascinating and exciting. As is the thought of participating, and thus knowing more about, the Balcoin Trials." He smirked. "And let's be honest. She's attractive. I only have one other female in my Circle and she's my half sister; I need Eye Candy."

Chloe rolled her eyes, realizing he was just riling her mother up.

Jason slammed his car door closed, leaning against it, folding his arms over his chest.

"I don't trust you or your intentions." Moira pointed her hand at Lex.

"And I don't think your trust is important," Lex replied easily. "Hers is the only one that matters to me."

As those two argued and sent verbal insults and barbs at each other, Chloe's gaze slid towards Jason, meeting his hazel gaze. She gulped, flashes of that kiss in the Torch shooting electricity down to the pit of her stomach… and then Jason looked away and refused to look back at her.

Damn. Getting rejected again was just as harsh as the first time.

Gulping back the desire to cry in frustration, Chloe clenched her fists before turning towards the mansion, storming towards it.

Lex and Moira both stopped their bickering, watching her movement.

"I lied." Chloe took the steps rapidly.

"About what exactly?" Lex wanted to know, half intrigued and half wary.

Chloe's answer was to reach him and yank the unprepared witch down viciously with a tug at his expensive shirt, their lips meeting quite abruptly. Barely keeping their teeth from clashing at the unexpected kiss, Chloe tilted her head to the side and tried pushing Jason out of her mind as she moved her lips against Lex's. She fought the image of Jason against her, kissing her, instead concentrating on Lex, on his smell and the touch of his hand against her cheek as his other arm went around her body, pulling her close against him as he returned the kiss.

His taste was familiar, alcohol and bitterness, and Chloe gasped as images of the first man she'd kissed in Crouch's End flashed before her eyes. Lex swallowed her gasp as he kissed her deeper, his grip on her tightening.

What were the chances of her having kissed these two guys out of all of the ones that'd been there?

Chloe's eyes flew open, finding his closed in concentration as he kissed her, trying to put the image she had a of Lex Luthor with the utterly heartbroken drunkard who'd asked her questions on life after death.

She'd felt so sorry for that faceless, nameless guy and the loss he was feeling and her heart hurt a little in confusion. That guy hadn't known who she was, he wouldn't have had a reason to put up a front for her sympathy. In fact, he'd been just as much a victim during that kiss as she had...

Chloe's grip on his shirt loosened, her hand trailing up softly before resting over his heartbeat, assuring herself that he had one, he was human despite everything.

Suddenly the door behind Lex opened and they fell through, hitting the opposite wall, Lex's back taking the brunt of the blow as the door slammed shut behind them, locking both Jason and Moira out.

Chloe and Lex stood pressed together, both taking in deep breaths as they gazed into each other's faces, shock obvious on both of their expressions.

"Did you-?"

She shook her head to his answer.

Lex cleared his throat, licking his lips. "I-You haven't-It didn't work."

For a moment she was a little hazy as to what he was saying and then her eyes widened. "Right." She made a little face. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." There was a hint of disappointment in his tone as he eyed her. "Why didn't it work?"

"I don't know. I'm still new at this whole zombifying thing."

"Enthralling," he corrected and yet his lips twitched with obvious amusement.

"We might, uh, have to give it another go." And she blushed realizing what she was saying.

His lips continued twitching with devilish amusement. "The sacrifices one has to make for science."

Her lips parted in a soundless cry of outrage, slugging his shoulder quite unladylike.

Lex's only answer was to swoop down and capture her lips once more, turning them around so that she was the one pressed against the wall.

Unlike their kiss outside, Chloe wasn't forcing herself to keep her mind on the kiss, said mind going hazy with pleasure as Lex pinned her there, his hands on each side of her head and his lips working masterfully over hers. She reached behind her, grasping at the wall for some sort of support, pleasure rippling through her body like waves as she tilted her head upwards to grant him better access.

Lex's hands went from the wall on each side of her head to clench in her hair as he leaned into her, taking the kiss deeper.

It was hard to breathe, hard to think, a buzzing sound loud in her ear.

Lex tore his lips from hers, breathing heavily.

Chloe kept her head tilted upwards, her eyes remaining closed, feeling the flush all over her face and neck. "What about now?" She leaned hard against the wall, her chest rising and falling heavily with her erratic breaths. "Still nothing?"

"It seems…. that we… have a problem." He gave a little groan as he leaned forward once more, resting his forehead on the wall next to her head.

Her eyes flew open, the blonde gulping, hands pressing harder against the wall. "Maybe it's performance anxiety?" She suddenly felt like she was suffering some sort of sexual impotence. "Maybe I'm just nervous because I'm trying to? I've never actually tried to before."

"Might be." His voice sounded odd, but then again the wall was muffling it. "Are you sure you're trying to enthrall me? That this isn't some attempt to-?"

This seemed like a challenge, like he was saying she wasn't trying hard enough, and damn it, everything in Chloe's nature was competitive. She reached up for his cheek and brought his face towards her, intent on kissing the living hell out of him... when she noticed his eyes. Hers widened as she whispered, "Why are your eyes glowing purple?"

"What?" He pulled away and stormed down the hall, coming towards the first reflective surface he could find, sure enough his eyes were glowing the same purple his hands had the night of the battle.

A dark dread filled her stomach. "Are you trying to drain me?"

"What? No." He glared at her before returning his gaze to his reflection. "This- This has never happened before. I don't know what this is."

It was the slight steel in his words that convinced her, the blonde moving towards him, giving him a little look over. "It's just your eyes, not your hands."

"I've never-" He shook his head, running his hand over it in an obvious sign of agitation. "Did you do something to me?"

"I think we've both agreed I've done nothing." She recognized the resentment in that and blinked, surprised at herself.

"Or maybe-maybe it's my magic that's…" Lex looked thoughtful as he turned towards her. "Did you know that there were supposedly only six original witch families? No one knows how or why but Dabblers popped up afterwards, as did other witches, but originally there were only six."

"Are you telling me the Balcoins are one of the six?"

"As are the Luthors." Lex was staring at her with wonderment in his eyes, a slow smile making up his features. "Each family had their own special ability that only a chosen few of their bloodline ever inherited."

"Like my ability to enthrall and your ability to drain people?" Chloe's eyes widened, realizing what he was getting at and being infected with his awe and excitement.

Lex nodded before eyeing her in fascination. "I'm going to try something." And with that, he reached out and curled his hand around her neck, his thumb caressing her skin softly as he stared into her eyes, his still glowing purple.

Chloe breathed in and out, staring at those eyes, fascinated by their color and glow.

Lex's eyes widened, his lips parting.

Almost as if in a trance, almost as if someone else was in control, Chloe reached out her hand to his cheek, turning her hand to trail her fingers down the side of his neck.

The color in those eyes intensified, as did the brightness of the glow.

Her breathing was growing erratic once more.

So was his.

Chloe didn't know who moved first but somehow she was in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist as she kissed Lex, his hand still curled around her neck.

As her eyes slipped closed to the image of Lex's closed eyelids still betraying the shining purple light behind them, Chloe could feel the pink and purple clash and explode like a bomb, rippling out and causing the whole mansion to tremble beneath their feet. Somehow during the explosion they'd managed to slide down the wall so that she was straddling his lap, Lex's hands going to hers and pinning them above her on the wall as he kissed her deeper, explosions of light going off in the house like fireworks.

She forced her eyes open, seeing the pink glow to the hands he had around hers… and when her gaze landed on the reflection off of a vase with one of the hundred arrangement of flowers they received daily from Potter's Potts… she found purple orbs staring back at her. It was almost as if they'd swapped colors, his hands glowing her pink and her eyes glowing his purple.

And then… and then it was gone and the door kicked open, Jason and Moira stepping inside, freezing at what they saw.

Lex dropped his hold on her wrists, his hands not glowing anymore as he stared at Chloe in confusion and utter delight, fascination in his every feature as he gazed at her. "That was unexpected."

To say the least!

Chloe could feel her blush growing again as she stared into his face before stumbling onto her feet and pulling away. "I, uh, have somewhere I need to be." With that, she turned and stormed past Jason and Moira outside of the mansion, hugging herself as she bypassed the limousine and continued walking down the path. Everything was running through her head at a dizzying pace, each kiss, each reaction, the explosion of colors rocking through her like some sort of… of... "Oh boy."

She couldn't enthrall Lex and he couldn't drain her.

That should have simplified things.

The blonde brought her hand to her lips, shaking her head as her face heated up in a blush.

It hadn't.

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"What the hell just happened here?" Moira snapped, frustrated and confused and not at all pleased by the scene she'd just witnessed. "You will keep your grubby paws off of my daughter, do you understand me?"

Lex was standing, eyeing his reflection in a mirror, before sending her an unconcerned look. "Or what?"

She clenched her fists. "I know men like you. You're just like her father and I will not let you do to her what he did to me."

Lex just eyed her before smirking, shaking his head. "Your daughter is my business partner, someone who shares my views, nothing else."

"That how you treat all your business partners?" Moira snapped, coming closer, fingernails turned into claws. "You magicked us out while you-!"

"I did no such thing." There was genuine confusion on his face.

And that shocked Moira because she believed him. And if he hadn't been the one who'd locked them out… it must have been Chloe.

"Just – Stay away from my daughter." Moira raised her chin. "And that goes for you too Teague!"

It was only then that they both realized Jason was gone.

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"You planning on walking all the way back to town?"

She ignored the voice of the man as he leaned out the window of the car trailing next to her on the road.

"You planning on ignoring me all the way back?"

"You planning on following me all the way back?" she threw at him, hugging herself harder as she continued to walk, unable to look in his direction.

"Maybe," he admitted. "Nothing better to do with my time."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe I have something better to do?" And damn, she hadn't meant to sound so snappy.

"So one kiss from Lex and suddenly you're too good to talk to me?"

She stopped and turned towards the man who stepped on the brakes. "Why are you acting like the jilted boyfriend?"

"Who says jilted anymore?" he countered.

The blonde eyed him, not exactly sure what his game was as she took a step towards him. "What is it, Jason? Does Lex need you to test out some other theory for him?"

His smile was ugly. "I'm sure he tested everything out himself back there."

She clenched her fists before shaking her head and beginning to walk once more.

The car didn't follow, but the sound of a door opening and closing betrayed his approach before his footsteps did, the sandy-blonde falling into step with her, hands in his leather jacket's pockets.

They walked in silence, the blonde waiting for him to ditch her and go back to his car, and yet he never did. Even when the car disappeared around the corner he didn't even hesitate or look back.

Her annoyance, frustration and hurt were still there, but her curiosity was always one of her dominant traits. The blonde sent him a sideways glance as they continued to walk side by side. "Are you walking me back to town?"

He shrugged. "Nice night for a walk."

"Town's five miles away." She thought she should just mention that.

He smirked. "Nice night for a long walk."

She stopped and turned towards him once more. "What do you want?"

"Why so suspicious?" He turned towards her. "Can't a guy just walk a girl home?"

Chloe eyed him. "Did Lex tell you to do this?"

A muscle jumped in his cheek. "Lex isn't my master, you know. I can do things because I want to."

"Why would you want to?" Chloe wanted to know.

"Why wasn't Lex enthralled when you kissed him?" Jason changed the subject. "What the hell was all that magic and why were your eyes glowing purple and his pink?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, scratching her head. "I don't think he does either."

"So he's immune to your enthrallment or something?" Jason pushed.

"I don't know." She glared at him. "I told you this already."

"Lex isn't the benevolent Luthor to his father's malevolent, as he'd like you to think. His original plan had been to drain you dry." Jason changed the subject abruptly and wouldn't look at her, staring ahead as he spoke. "It was that way for years until Patricia convinced him that a living Balcoin would be more useful to him than a dead one. She told him that even if Lex took all your dark magic and killed you, that that could be the end of the Balcoin lineage and that wasn't in the best interest of our Circle since when Lex dies the magic would die with him as well and wouldn't pass onto his children. All that magic and power would be lost."

Chloe could feel herself going cold. "So I'm a breeder?"

"Were. Now that we know you have siblings, Lex knows that the existence of Balcoins and their blood and dark magic isn't in danger anymore." He shucked his hands deep in his leather jacket's pockets. "We always assumed you'd be a boy, Balcoins have a tendency to have male children."

She wondered why that made a difference.

"You were supposed to bound by the Circle using the spell Patricia and Lex discovered, made so that you could only use your magic when and only for what Lex wanted." He spoke so coldly, so matter of factly. "But now that there's a vacancy in our Circle and Patricia's dead, I'm beginning to wonder if Lex doesn't have another plan for you." He still refused to look at her. "He should have already enforced the pact on you, heeled you to his side and bound your powers in you, but he hasn't done so."

"The Trials-"

"They don't matter. He would allow you to use your magic for them and he'd most definitely still help you through them," Jason cut her off with a sharp shaking of his head. "He is going against what he said he would do and I think I know why."

She was silent, waiting.

"It's really genius, I have to give him that." Jason's smile was ugly. "What better way to ensure that the Luthor Circles for generations to come always have Balcoin blood in them than to bind a Balcoin to the Circle – and mix the Balcoin and Luthor blood forever?" He kicked at a stone. "But to do that, he'd have to seduce you to his side first. Lex might be a lot of things, but he'd never force a woman into bed with him."

Chloe found it hard to breathe, just staring at Jason, everything he was saying making so much sense she felt stupid for not having even contemplated it before. "Why are you telling me this?"

At first he was quiet but then he gave a little groan and turned his hazels defiantly on her. "Maybe I don't want his little seduction plan to work."

Chloe gulped, heart racing, eyes widening. "Why wouldn't you? It's what would make your Circle happiest, wouldn't it?"

"My Circle, maybe." He shrugged, looking away.

Chloe licked her lips, feeling a blush creep up her chest. "So, are you going to give me that ride to the Talon or what?"

He returned his hazels to her and smirked, nodding. "Wasn't enjoying the thought of walking all the way to town."

She snorted in laughter. "I thought it was a nice night for a long walk?"

"Yeah, yeah, but it's a better night for a nice drive." And with that he twirled on his heels and began walking back in the direction they'd come from.

Chloe watched his back, biting back a large smile, before hurrying to follow.

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The sound of muffled screams echoed throughout the halls, seeming to reverberate in the room.

Mikhail smirked from where he lounged on the chair. "He's enjoying this way too much."

"We all have our little joys in life." Brendan played with a ball of ice that levitated over his palms, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Some people knit, others place baseball, Trent MacGowen does that."

More screams could be heard.

"You've got to admit it though, those two must have high pain thresholds if they've managed to keep from talking this long," Mikhail murmured with some admiration. "Especially the pretty redhead."

"She's a Luthor, it's to be expected," Brendan replied easily, throwing the ball of ice into the fireplace causing an explosion of cold to sweep momentarily through the room. "But she'll break, just like her little boyfriend, and when they do, they'll give us everything we need." He smirked. "Even if they don't even realize it."

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Sitting on the sofa, Chloe hid her snigger behind her plastic cup as she watched Greg, Whitney and Clark dancing to the music, or, well, she was almost sure that was supposed to be dancing. Diana seemed the only one whose movements could be considered dancing and not some sort of attack, the brunette bobbing her head. Greg had been right, while Whitney and Clark had both tried to deny it, everyone had needed a little party to try and relax after all the crap they'd been going through, and as they danced ridiculously to Bubblegum Bitch by Marina and the Diamonds, Chloe couldn't help but push her own troubles behind her and laugh. It was highly amusing to watch them.

Diana danced her way towards her before throwing herself on the sofa, laughing as Greg and Whitney nearly danced into each other. "Why aren't you dancing?"

"Not much of a dancer." Chloe shrugged.

"Is anyone?" Diana chuckled, eyeing Clark's, uh, robot moves.

Chloe bit her bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing at him. "You've got a point there."

"Come on, I can't be the only girl up there by myself." Diana nudged Chloe's shoulder with hers. "You have to join too."

"I don't dance."

"Too bad." Diana reached out and grabbed Chloe's arm, dragging the reluctant girl onto the dance floor, throwing her hands in the air and shaking her hips as she got back into the rhythm of the music.

Clark did his best robot as he neared Chloe, laughing, face flushed as he finally reached her. "About time you joined."

"I didn't think you could handle the competition." She tried for some robot moves of her own, laughing when she realized she made him look like an expert.

Clark's smile grew.

Diana danced in between Whitney and Greg, obviously enjoying the situation to the extreme, sending Chloe a devious little wink.

Hold Me by Maria Mena began playing as Clark held out his hand and Chloe accepted, wondering when the last time she'd felt this carefree with her childhood friend. She wrapped her arms around his neck as they danced slowly to the melancholic song.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him in confusion as they swayed to the music.

"About everything." Clark gave her those sad puppy dog eyes, arms around her as he managed somehow not to step on her toes. "I miss you, Chlo. I want us to be the way we used to be. I miss my best friend."

Chloe's confusion melted into a small smile as she nodded. "I miss you too, Clark."

He removed one hand from around her to hold between them. "Friends?"

She smiled before putting her hand in his and squeezing tight. "Always."

Smiling widely, Clark gave her a little twirl before stepping on her foot.

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"Something's wrong." Lex stared out of the window.

"I felt it too." Jason said from behind him. "Oliver and Tess are incommunicado; I think someone's gotten to them."

"Who would dare an attack like that though?" Lex wanted to know, turning to face him. "Who would risk angering our families?"

"I don't know, but the fact that they don't seem to care makes me worried about Tess and Oliver's safety," Jason declared. "If they're bold enough to kidnap and inflict enough on them for us to feel it through the fading bond of our broken Circle – then they're bold enough to kill them if they don't get what they want."

"Or if they do." Lex clasped his hands behind his back. "Get Davis on the line, tell him to find out what's going on. He has eyes and ears all over the place. Someone must know something."

Jason nodded before turning and leaving to do as told.

Watching him leave, Lex turned back to stare outside the window at the darkness, feeling an ominous storm heading their way.

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TBC


	32. A Day At Potter's Potts

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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Considering that school was destroyed (and yet already the rebuilding was underway courtesy of Luthorcorp), Chloe and the rest of the teenaged population were on a little unexpected vacation. Peggy had, of course, taken advantage of the opportunity and called in sick, so Chloe was forced to take both the morning and evening shifts at Potter's Potts. It really wasn't that bad and considering that Diana, Greg, Whitney and Clark were keeping her company most of the time, it was actually kind of fun. Especially since Greg had taken to flirting with all the women who entered the store (whether they were attractive, young, or not) and that had some old ladies cooing and blushing and coming daily to the store. Greg had threatened to start charging Chloe for his "contribution" to the store's livelihood.

She had yet to see Jason or Lex since that night and she was relieved for it. There was just too much on her mind to have everything all weird with them around. And anyway, Whitney kept her up to date on how Jason was. Just because the Coach was dead and the school burnt down didn't mean that the footballers weren't still competing (the football field was intact, after all) and Whitney had trudged in one day from practice announcing that Jason Teague had been elected the new Coach of the Crows, the team practicing almost every evening to get ready for their next game.

"Hello, Chloe."

Chloe'd been watering some of the small potted plants and looked up at the unexpected voice, eyes widening. "Mrs Arkin!"

Greg's mother, who was still trying to come around to her son's magic (and had her good days and very bad ones), gave Chloe a tremulous smile as she moved closer, clutching her purse to her chest almost as if it offered her some sort of shield. "How are you doing with your mother and sister in town?"

"It's-I'm adapting," Chloe replied, putting down the watering can and giving the woman her whole attention, wiping her hands nervously against the front of her apron.

"I understand the feeling." Mrs Arkin's wavering smile had yet to meet her eyes. "I've been wanting to talk to you once I got up the nerve."

Chloe blinked at the thought of a grown up having to get up the nerve to talk to her. "Uh, sure. Diana's out getting us lunch and the others aren't here either so we're alone. You can talk about whatever you want to."

Mrs Arkin cleared her throat loudly, holding her purse tighter. "I'm sure you know that I have found out about Greg's – little issue."

She wouldn't call it an "issue" but didn't comment, nodding wordlessly.

"I didn't know my husband was a – witch – when we got together, so you must understand that this is all a shock to me. Some days I wake up wondering if it's all just a weird dream." Her eyes darted around nervously before returning to Chloe. "I didn't raise a witch, I raised my son, and I'm having trouble identifying them as the same person."

Chloe still couldn't get why she was being told this.

Mrs Arkin's breath stuttered before she cleared her throat. "I don't like the fact that he's a witch but he seems adamant in the fact that it's what he is and that if I love him I have to accept it." She made a face. "To be honest, I knew he was different, that something had happened, and I was waiting for some sort of confession – but I was preparing for him to tell me he was gay! Not that he – you know."

Greg would not appreciate ever knowing his mother had thought him in the closet.

"Thing is, I lost my husband without even knowing the real reason until all these years later – Witch Hunters!" She shook her head in near disbelief, obviously so full of emotion and holding onto it desperately. "I don't want to lose my son like that and not know the real reason. I don't want to be kept in the dark. Greg might be a pain most of the time, but he's my son and while I want to whack him over the head most days, I still love that vagabond." She took in a deep breath. "He's too stubborn to ever leave this... I believe he said it's called a Circle." She licked her lips. "Greg's all I have left."

Chloe still had no idea where this conversation was going.

"I want you to tell Greg that you won't ever let him into your Circle," Mrs Arkin finally announced.

Chloe blinked, utterly confused and more lost than ever. "Huh?"

Mrs Arkin bristled a little, clutching her purse tighter. "I want you to tell him that you don't want him to be a part of your Circle."

The blonde leaned hard against the counter. "I don't have a Circle." She shook her head in confusion. "I think you're talking about the Potter Circle. That's the one that many of our families, especially Lana's, Greg's and mine, have been a part of since around the Middle Ages. But I never joined the Circle; the person you should be talking to is Lana, when she comes back. And even then, she's not going to agree to this because it's a part of her heritage that she really wants to keep going."

Mrs Arkin frowned at her. "I was not referring to the Circle my husband used to belong to. I was referring to your Circle. The one you are the head of. The one he wants to join. Tell him he can't – that you don't want him to be a part of it."

Chloe's eyes widened even further, confusion growing. "But I don't have a Circle. I'm not a part of any and I definitely don't head one."

"Please do not lie to me. Greg has told me that you and the Fordman boy have your own Circle, and he's interested in joining it." Mrs Arkin completely blew her away with this. "According to him, your Circle would be more fun than Lana's-or as _he_ put it "funner"."

Chloe blinked, and then blinked, and then blinked again before shaking her head, bringing her hand to her forehead. "Mrs Arkin, a Circle is six. Whitney and I are... something else. We're more of an After School Magic Club or something, I don't know really how to explain what we are. We have each other's back. We fight. We're friends. I mean no disrespect to you or your wishes, but there's no way that I'd ever tell Greg he couldn't be my friend." She could see the way the woman's eyes narrowed, yet Chloe continued on as respectfully as she could. "Greg's been there for me when I've needed him and I'm going to be there for him whenever he needs me. We're friends, we're allies, and to be honest he's a great person who I like having around." She licked her lips. "I understand that you want to protect him, you're his mother, but please understand that we will protect him as well and try and keep him safe. He's never going to be a hundred percent safe – he's a witch. The Witch Hunters that killed his father are still out there and they're not finished with Smallville. We don't plan on doing anything to deserve their attacks, but neither did our parents and we know how that ended."

Mrs Arkin gulped.

"Circles are formed not only because each family had a gift or knowledge they could bring to the group to help it grow stronger, but Circles also meant protection from those who have always persecuted our kind. To be shunned was death because it meant you weren't protected, you were easy game." She took in a deep breath. "You want your son to be protected because you love him and because of that I am not going to ever tell Greg he can't come around or be a friend. And if I did have a Circle, which I don't, I wouldn't tell him he couldn't be a part of it." She clenched her fists. "I'm sorry because this wasn't what you wanted to hear, but-"

"No, it wasn't." Mrs Arkin tilted her head as she eyed Chloe intensely. "But oddly enough, I feel a little more comforted now." Her smile still wavered and yet wasn't as forced as before. "Have a good day, Chloe." And with that she turned and walked out of the door.

Chloe watched her go, hugging herself.

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"I'm just saying that if I didn't everything else about him, I'd enjoy him as a coach," Whitney declared, having stumbled upon Diana at the diner. The both of them were waiting for their food to be prepared, the blonde having decided to drive by Potter's Potts and enjoy his dinner with the girls while he had a moment free. "He obviously knows what he's doing and some of the guys googled him. There were videos of his games on Youtube. He's got game."

She sat on one of the stools, tapping a straw against the counter. "You know we've got to get her out of that, right?"

He didn't even have to ask her what she was talking about. The Quarterback eyed Chloe's sister thoughtfully before nodding. "I'm fresh out of ideas though on how exactly it could be done given everything her father did to tie her to them."

"There's always a way around those things." She was obviously cautious like him and didn't want to say the "m" word while out in public like this. "His plans for everyone who wasn't family, for instance. There was a loophole, not a nice one but there was one." Her eyes seemed darker in her resolve. "I haven't known her as long as you and the others have, but I don't think she'd approve of us taking on this little side project."

Whitney nodded once more. "She'd worry about what might happen to us if they caught on."

"Well, if she doesn't know, they won't know." Diana seemed sure of this, tapping her straw faster in a betrayal of nerves or anticipation, he wasn't exactly sure which. "They're going to be paying her a lot of attention and we're going to be able to sneak around easier that way."

He eyed her silently. "Why do you care what happens to her?"

Diana narrowed her eyes at him. "She's my sister."

"From what I understand, you already have another sister and left her when the going got tough." He knew he was being an asshole to her but he needed to be sure she wouldn't flake on him when he needed her, when Chloe needed her. "Why not do the same here?"

Diana flinched, stopping her straw's taps as she looked away, shame passing over her features. "I wasn't strong when I needed to be, I admit that, but there are also other things that you don't understand so I'd appreciate it if you don't make assumptions when you don't have all the details."

He could get that. "Okay."

"Anyway," her dark orbs returned to him, "I know that stopping John's plans were the right thing to do, but by stopping him we – I – put Chloe in this situation and I'm going to be damned if I don't find a way to get her out of it."

And finally he was getting most of the picture, the blonde eyeing her silently.

It wasn't a "sisterly duty" that was driving Diana as much as it was guilt and the desire to redeem herself somehow.

And no matter how much of an asshole it made him, Whitney knew he could use those feelings, and trust her drive and determination now. "So how do you think we can do this without her finding out?"

"My family – the man who raised me was, uh, you know." She licked her lips and pulled a dark strand of hair behind her ear. "Before I left, I found his stash of most valuable research material but I left it because I was running away from anything like that. I'll have to ask someone to send them to me."

And it was obvious that she was dreading that.

Whitney eyed her before reaching out his hand towards her.

She stared at him wordlessly before placing hers in his as they shook on it.

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Chloe eyed the sparkling bracelet in the box from a store she'd never be able to afford to buy from, thinking that this was the most beautiful and sparkly thing she'd ever seen in her life. The girl in her wanted to squeal and try it on, the woman in her closed the box and handed it back to the surprised man. "No, thank you."

"But Miss-" The guy who'd delivered it to her stuttered, holding the box as if it were a bomb about to explode. "I was told to give this to you by Mr Teague and he said-"

"Rich guys." She was interrupting him and didn't care. "Tell Mr Teague that normal guys don't send gifts via other guys, and also don't give a girl they aren't engaged to jewelry that could pay off her father's mortgage if she resold it."

The man went pale, obviously not wanting to repeat that at all. "Please, Mr Teague told me that-"

"Do I look like the type of girl who would have a reason or occasion that would be even slightly appropriate to wear something like that at?" She didn't give him time to answer. "It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, but I can't even think of one event I could ever attend in which wearing something like that would be even remotely appropriate."

"Are you sure?" the man pleaded.

Chloe nodded. "Tell him thanks, but no thanks."

The guy groaned, turning around and dragging his feet as he left, mumbling about his inability to understand women and how if someone rich and handsome like Mr Teague struck out with them, he himself had no chance.

It was only when the guy crossed the person in pink before exiting the store did Chloe realize that the whole thing had been observed.

Standing in Potter's Potts was the last person Chloe would have ever expected to see.

"Okay, I'm speechless and there is usually nothing that can leave me without words." Considering Dawn Stiles was still talking, she obviously wasn't speechless or without words as the girl drew closer. "I came here with every intention of telling you to stay away from my man, that he was mine and that the next time you tried to turn him against me, I'd cut you." Her gaze went behind her at the door before returning to Chloe. "But if you have guys like Jason Teague trying to court you with emerald bracelets, I'm going to go on a limb here and say there's no way Van's even on your radar."

"Wait, what?" Chloe blinked, completely shocked and confused for the second time that day. "You thought I was trying to steal Van from you?" At the look on Dawn's face she blinked once more and shook her head, leaning hard against the counter. "Why?"

"Hey! Don't diss Van! He's hot and sweet and surprisingly sensitive for a guy who can fire and dismantle and then put back together any sort of firearm." Dawn was surprisingly defensive and loyal as she folded her arms over her chest. "He's an asshole and an idiot, but he's my asshole idiot." Dawn chewed the inside of her cheek, lips pursed in a pout as she eyed Chloe. "But I'm lost now. If you aren't the one who planted that stupid and laughingly ridiculous idea of me and Brent Greene of all people – then where the heck did he get that poison in his system?"

Chloe eyed Smallville's resident Barbie Girl before clearing her throat. "He told me that there was no way that Brent would act the way he did around you while with his girlfriend if you hadn't given him encouragement."

Dawn waited, and then her lips parted. "That's it?"

Chloe shrugged. "It's what he told me." She thought for a second before adding, "He said that Brent was always around you and that he suited you better anyway."

Dawn eyed Chloe before smiling brightly. "He's just jealous!" She was obviously pleased by this, her grin bright. "That idiot!" The girl cleared her throat, dialing down her smile as she took in a deep breath. "I have no reason to explain myself to you, but I have never cheated on Van with anyone, much less Brent Greene. He's disgusting." She narrowed her eyes in thought. "But Van's avoiding me and you're the only person he hangs out with that I can talk to in public, so you're going to help me get Van back."

"I am?" Chloe hadn't seen this one coming.

"Yes." Dawn nodded, assured of this. "You're going to work things out and get him to see reason."

"Why don't you?"

"Because he won't answer any of my calls or come to the door when I go to his house." A muscle jumped in her cheek. "You're going to help me."

"I'm still somewhat vague on why I'm helping you." Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you even have to ask," Dawn announced as if this should have been obvious. "It's in the Girl Code."

Ah, yes, that elusive Girl Code Chloe had heard about in the few chick flicks Lucy had forced her to watch some summers back. "Is it written somewhere? Like in some book or something? Because I'd like a copy of these codes."

Dawn eyed her as if she was not sure if Chloe was trying to be funny or not, the other girl shaking her head before clearing her throat. "I'll leave you to work out the details." She flashed Chloe a smile. "Great chat!" And with that, a twirl and a flick of her hair behind her shoulder, Dawn pranced out of Potter's Potts, hips swaying, door swinging closed behind her.

Chloe eyed the door and blinked before shaking her head. "Could this day get any weirder?"

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"Maybe we should come back then," Pete declared after having heard everything that had been going on in their absence.

Clark wanted to tell them yeah, to come back immediately, that they were needed and missed, but he understood that it would be selfish of him. "Everything's handled for now. We're going to be fine."

"But this Luthor Circle..." Lana's voice came in nervously. "They don't sound like a good influence to have around Chloe. And if they supposedly own her, you all need us there to fight alongside you."

"We're just trying to get her through the Trials alive and we don't even really know what they are." Clark sighed. "To be honest, I think it's probably better if you two are our secret weapons."

Lana was silent.

Pete sighed. "She's my sister, Clark. If she'd just told me all this when we spoke, I would have come back right away."

Clark closed his eyes. "Which is why you should stay. She wants you to be able to get through your own troubles and problems before even thinking about hers. You need this and right now you should do what you're doing. If things change and we need you, I'll call you guys and let you know."

There was silence and then Pete sighed. "Keep me up to date with what's really going on there, okay? Please?"

"Of course, she's your sister but she's my best friend." Clark took in a deep breath. "The second I know she needs you, I'll call. Until then, good luck on your little mission."

"It's not really little." Lana cleared her throat. "If we're successful, imagine what we can learn."

"Right." Clark nodded before hearing his father calling for him. "Hey, I've got to go, talk to you all later."

"You too," Lana announced.

"Take care, Clark." Pete sighed.

"You too, Pete." Clark listened until there was nothing but dial-tone, sighing as he hung up. "Be careful."

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"Are you okay?"

Diana nodded, holding the payphone to her ear as she watched Whitney where he was waiting with their food in his hands. "Yeah, I am."

"Where are you?" Adam Conant asked. "Everyone's been worried about you."

"I'm fine." She looked up at the ceiling of the payphone booth before making a face. "I need a favor."

"You aren't okay." The frown was obvious.

"I am. I swear." She took in a deep breath. "I need you to go into my home and send me some books that I need. They're, uh, our types of books."

He went silent. "What's going on Diana? What have you gotten yourself into?"

"It's not so much for me, Adam, it's for someone else." At his silence she sighed and lowered her gaze. "How are you?"

"You're changing the subject." And yet he sighed and answered. "I'm fine. Melissa and I – we tried – but we're better as friends."

"Oh." She was a little surprised at the thought of Adam and Melissa together, but shook it off. "I'm sorry." The brunette turned to Whitney when he knocked on the glass of the payphone's booth and motioned to his truck. She nodded, getting what he was saying. "I'll see you back at the flower shop," she told the blonde.

Nodding, Whitney took their bags towards his truck.

"How's Grant?" Adam asked oddly.

"I don't know." She didn't even know why she was telling him the truth. "He split on me."

"What?" Adam's voice was a snarl. "He left you all alone? Jesus, Diana! Come back home!"

"I'm fine Adam." The girl worried her bottom lip. "I-I'm with family."

"I thought your grandmother was the only family you had-." And then it must have hit Adam because he went quiet for a moment. "Oh."

"Yes." She licked her lips.

"Who?" His voice cracked a little.

"My eldest sibling – I've met another as well, Pete, through Skype."

"Wow." Adam took in a deep breath. "The other two?"

"They don't know them." Diana made a face. "Could you please send me those books? Just courier them to an address I'm going to give you."

"Are you okay Diana?" Adam asked softly. "Are you in trouble?" He paused. "They might be your siblings, but they're Balcoins."

Diana's gaze lowered to her feet. "So am I."

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The door opened and Chloe looked up from the computer, surprised to see someone she didn't recognize. Smallville was small enough so that you knew everyone at least by their face, so the fact that this face was completely unfamiliar had her both curious and wary, yet the blonde didn't let it show as she smiled.

The woman sent her a smile back, eyeing the flowers thoughtfully for a moment before making her way up towards the counter. "I'm a little lost."

Chloe felt a little less wary. "Figured as much. People rarely end up in Smallville otherwise. Where are you actually trying to go?"

"Granville. I have an aunt there."

"Oh, you took the wrong exit from the Metropolis highway, it's the second turn off and not the first, the first brings you here." Chloe nodded, understanding what was going on now. "But the good news is that there's a road that leads out from Smallville to Grandsville, do you have a map?"

"Yep." The woman reached into her bag and pulled it out, opening it.

"Okay, so we're here..." Chloe showed her exactly where they were and where she should be going, repeating it when she saw a little odd look on the woman's face and figured she might still be a little confused. "And then you just follow this road and in 45 minutes you're in Granville."

The door opened and Whitney entered, carrying two plastic bags that smelled delicious. "Diana'll be here soon."

She nodded to him before returning her smile to the woman. "If you follow that route then you'll get to your aunt in no time."

The woman eyed her silently before smiling. "Thank you, it was nice to meet you." She held out her hand. "I'm Gina."

Chloe smiled, bringing her hand up to shake that hand. "Chloe. If you ever get lost around Smallville again and need some help, I'll most probably be right here."

"That's good to know." Gina nodded before turning and leaving, stuffing the map into her bag.

Whitney watched her go, waiting for the door to close behind her before raising an eyebrow and turning to Chloe as he pulled out the containers of food and drinks from the plastic bags. "She's a witch."

Chloe turned to him in shock. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Didn't you see her bracelet when she was shaking your hand? They had not only protective stones on it, but concealing charms as well." Whitney eyed the door once more before shrugging. "She's in magical hiding."

Chloe turned to look at him thoughtfully. "I wonder what Circle she belongs to."

"Probably none." Whitney laid down her coke and box of food in front of her. "She could be a warlock, shunned from her magical community because of something she did."

Chloe's gaze returned to the door. "She didn't look like what I thought a warlock would look like."

"Yeah well, you don't look like what I would expect the firstborn of the witch's devil to look like either." Whitney passed her a straw. "Appearances are always deceiving."

The door reopened and Diana strode in.

"Take this one for example, she doesn't look like your sister." Whitney shrugged. "Another point in my favor."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "What am I missing?"

"Whitney thinks the girl that just left here is a warlock," Chloe announced.

Diana blinked. "Really? The pretty brunette?"

"I said she was a witch – never said I thought she was a warlock, just that she could be." Whitney passed Diana her food and drink before grabbing his own. "Anyway, she's heading towards Granville so we probably won't see her again." He turned to Chloe. "Word on the street is that Farmer Jenkins, Royce MacMillain and James Dawson were all seen at a strip joint in Memphis. There's pictures circulating."

"What?" Chloe blinked in shock.

Diana raised an eyebrow. "So Lex's cover story is starting, I see."

"No one's going to believe that all of them have just decided to up and leave Smallville at the same time," Chloe insisted. "Those three? Maybe. But the others?"

"We'll just have to see whatever Luthor cooks up." Whitney shrugged, not half as worried as he should be. "I'm more concerned about us finding out what the next Trial is going to be and when it'll take place. You need to be prepared this time."

"My mother's on it; says she might have a source who can give her more information on it." The blonde made a face. "She said that she was going to check it out with Lex because he might have some useful sources as well." The girl shook her head. "They're going to kill each other."

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"She's found other Balcoins?" Faye blinked in utter shock, the first to react after Adam had laid the bomb on them moments before. "And there's a guy?" She smirked. "Is he hot?"

"I don't know, that wasn't important." Adam didn't even have the strength to be annoyed with Faye. "All I know is that she's staying with her and Cassie's "oldest sibling" and had met the other through Skype."

"So is the oldest sibling a guy or girl?" Melissa wanted to know.

"I don't know," he admitted once more, still a little awkward around her after the rushed kisses and awkward chemistry they'd had and then the short and failed relationship. "She never specified."

"It doesn't make any sense," Cassie finally spoke from where she'd been death silent the whole time. "Diana left here because she couldn't deal with magic or the fact that she was a Balcoin – so why is she not only dealing with magic again – but associating with Balcoins?"

"Maybe she just didn't want to deal with us and you," Faye pointed out in her careless way. "Maybe she wanted a fresh start with a new sibling."

"Really nice Faye." Jake shook his head at her.

"What?" Faye wanted to know, looking at them all. "I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking. Diana skipped town and found herself a new home and a new family. A new Circle. We're chopped liver to her now."

"Diana isn't like that," Cassie defended, standing up rapidly, taking in a deep breath. "I think she's in trouble. I think this call was a cry for help."

"She didn't sound like she was worried or scared." Adam wouldn't meet Cassie's gaze.

"This is Diana," Cassie reminded. "And she's in the middle of Balcoins. They can't be trusted."

"She's a Balcoin too," Adam reminded also. "So are you."

"But it's different." Cassie was adamant about that. "We're different."

"She doesn't think so." He ran a hand over his spiky hair. "She called herself a Balcoin."

Cassie's eyes widened as she collapsed onto her seat.

Faye blinked, seeming impressed with Diana all of a sudden. "So when do we leave?"

"Huh?" Melissa raised an eyebrow.

"She told you where she was, right?" Faye asked Adam. "So you could courier her all of her father's occult books?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. She's in Smallville, Kansas."

"Kansas," Faye spoke the word as if it were a death sentence before shaking her head and standing with resolve. "Well, let's get going and deliver those books in person! We're not going to understand anything about what's going on and Cassie's going to be even more annoying than usual if we don't go and see that Diana's really happy there without her. So let's do it. Let's go." She grinned, her single dimple deep in her cheek. "It's time for our first road-trip."

Cassie finally spoke, eyes dark. "I'll start packing."

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Diana laughed hard, hand to her mouth, face red.

"It wasn't funny," Whitney grumbled, swallowing his bite. "I had to sleep with an icepack to my nuts for days afterwards!"

"You deserved it for tormenting me so much back then." Chloe held no sympathy at all, smirking at the memory of the baseball hitting home and driving the jock to the ground that day during PE.

"I was trying to get you to awaken because Clark had chickened out of it!" Whitney gasped in mock outrage.

Chloe just stuck one of her fries in his mouth.

He made a face at her before beginning to chew on it.

In mid-laugh Diana went dead quiet as she frowned.

"Is everything okay?" Chloe asked, noticing the change in the brunette's mood immediately.

"Yeah. It's just weird." Diana appeared both confused and uneasy, rolling her shoulders. "I just had a cold chill race down my spine."

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**TBC**


	33. Taking Back What's Balcoin

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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The next couple of days passed rapidly, Chloe spending most of her time at Potter's Potts. Peggy was apparently "oh so sick" and needed to stay home, so Chloe had to deal with the shop all by herself. Not to say that she was actually working all alone. Diana was her ever faithful companion and extremely good at what she was doing. She was good with people (a "real sweetheart" according to some of the older women) and Chloe was glad to not have to actually deal with the customers herself anymore. She really wasn't much of a "people" person and Diana was, so she left the clients to Diana and dealt with the inventory and other such things herself. It was brilliant really; the two girls saw a raise in clientele and business – and that was not considering the ridiculous amount of daily deliveries to the Luthor mansion.

Other than Diana, Chloe usually had one or more of the boys over helping and today it was Clark whom the girls were taking advantage of and giving all the grunt work to. He was used to it from helping his father on the farm all the time, though, and physically was definitely the fittest of the boys, something which Chloe caught Diana admiring a time or two when she thought no one was looking – or whenever Clark bent over to pick something up. It seemed that there was just something about Clark Kent that made Balcoin girls just stand and watch because Chloe had to admit doing some admiring herself. She was definitely past her huge crush on him but Clark was still highly attractive in his sweet, muscly way and she was a woman who was far from blind.

"I don't think it's very useful, but it's on her curriculum of things I need to learn so I have mastered it just to prove to her that I could." Clark made a face, concentrating on the glowing ferret seated on the table top, transparent and ghostly, yet glowing and sparkling brilliantly.

"Who _cares_ if it's useful?" Diana wanted to know, eyes wide as she leaned down on the surface of the counter to be face to face with the creation he was keeping around with his force of will alone. "It's so _cute_!"

"Doesn't this remind you of Harry Potter somewhat?" Chloe wanted to know, fascinated as she reached out and hesitated, not sure if she could or should touch it. "The Patronus, I mean?"

"Your Patronus is a ferret!" Diana laughed, clearly over the moon with this. "You're our Draco Malfoy!" She paused and thought about it for a second. "If Draco Malfoy was _nothing_ like himself, I mean."

The ferret sniffed the air towards Chloe's hand and came a little closer, the blonde moving it palm up as the ferret licked the side of her hand.

"I can actually feel that." The girl knew she was smiling like an idiot. "Clark, this is about the coolest thing you have _ever_ done."

Clark seemed quite proud of himself, not so disparaging about this ability anymore. "Mom says that the creature will be different for everyone."

"So it really is like a Patronus." Chloe couldn't and wouldn't stop herself from geeking as she reached out slowly and caressed the top of the ferret's head, feeling her Balcoin symbol tingling as the nearly transparent ferret's colors began changing. "Whoa."

Clark's eyes widened and he gulped loudly.

"You need to teach me this spell," Diana gushed, reaching out to pet the ferret's back.

As soon as her scarred hand touched the ferret Chloe could feel their magics intertwining and suddenly the ferret took a life of its own, body growing and contorting until it was larger and more muscular and its eyes were raging red.

Both girls removed their hands immediately, the creature's body quickly returning back to normal, the ferret blinking innocently at them.

Clark must have lost all concentration because the ferret disappeared and the boy shook his head, bringing his hand to it. "What was that?"

Chloe and Diana exchanged looks before the blonde held out of palm to Clark. "I think it was these."

Diana tapped her own scarred palm. "What exactly did we do?"

"I need to sit down." Clark seemed almost woozy as he pulled up a chair and collapsed onto it, resting his head hard on the counter.

Chloe and Diana exchanged worried looks before going on either side of the boy. "Are you okay?"

"I-I felt-_wow_." Clark seemed a little disoriented, his voice strained. "That was a physical manifestation of my magic and your magics-_wow_."

"We might have broken him." Diana sent Chloe a nervous little look.

"I'm fine," Clark assured, still not lifting his head from the counter. "It's just, I think I got an overload surge from your magics mingling with mine. _Whooo_!" He finally lifted his head, shaking it a little, still seeming somewhat woozy. "I feel a little tipsy right now."

"I'll get you some water." Diana slipped away to the back room.

Chloe rubbed Clark's back. "Feeling better?"

"So that's what your magic feels like." Clark shook his head, still trying to 'sober up'. "What a rush."

Chloe eyed her friend, still rubbing his back. "Lex said something like that."

Clark tilted his head towards her.

"He said that according to Jason, being enthralled by me gives the person the greatest rush, better than something he called Devil's Spirit." Chloe made a face, lips pursed in thought. "Diana said that Devil's Spirit is actually a sort of magical drug that enhances powers temporarily, gives a high, but is also highly addictive and very dangerous. She knew someone who'd been in a coma because of it."

Clark continued to eye her. "How are you doing?"

She eyed him thoughtfully. "In what way?"

"Every way I guess." He moved his body so that he was facing her on the stool. "Your mom and Lex came up negative on both their sources and along with Gabe are going to visit someone with ties to the Balcoins but won't tell you anything until they get back – coupled with everything else, you must be – well, how are you doing?"

"Would be bad if I said I was doing great?" Chloe asked quietly. "I know I should be more worried, but I'm not. I feel really... _numb_... to the whole thing."

Clark eyed her before reaching out and grabbing her hand, giving it a little squeeze.

She smiled and squeezed back.

Diana returned and put down a glass of water. "Sorry about the whole-whatever we did."

"No prob," Clark assured her with a little grin, drinking the water as if he hadn't had a sip in years.

Chloe and Diana shared amused looks over his head.

Clark continued drinking until there was not an ounce of water left.

"So, is Greg still coming over to have lunch with us?" Chloe wanted to know.

Diana shrugged.

Clark thought for a moment. "I think so, why?"

Chloe tried for innocent. "No reason."

It was all she could do not to look towards her bag where the letter was stuffed inside. She'd forgotten all about the little notes that she'd been receiving but when she'd opened up the store to find a note that had _**I KNOW WHO YOU ARE**_written on it, well...

She wanted to know if maybe Greg could use his ability to see where this letter had been before, or, well, who had written it. But she didn't want to worry the others yet, not when it could be just someone playing a prank on her or something. They had other stuff to worry about for now.

"I have a test with Lex tonight." Chloe didn't know exactly why she blurted that out all of a sudden.

Clark and Diana shared a look before they turned to look at her quizzically and asked in unison: "Test?"

"Yeah, you know, on my ability to enthrall people?" She licked her lips nervously. "I'm curious as to how we're going to do this because Jason's already told Lex he's not going to kiss me to help him with his research and Lex isn't affected by my enthrallment-"

"Your mom's got to be angry about that, all things considering," Clark interrupted.

"-So it's going to be interesting to see how he does whatever it is he's going to do," Chloe continued, as if Clark hadn't said a thing.

"As long as he doesn't poke you with needles and stuff..." Diana made a face, folding her arms over her chest. "But that's why I'm coming along, just to make sure he doesn't do anything underhanded."

"I can come along too if you'd like, for company," Clark offered. "Plus, I've always wanted to see what the inside of that place looked like."

Diana sent Chloe a look that said it was her decision to make.

"Sure," the blonde decided. "Why not?"

Clark grinned, obviously pleased.

The clock chimed once before the sound of a sparrow could be heard singing, betraying how late it was. "Okay, you two. Go get me lunch."

"Since when did we become her slaves?" Clark asked Diana good-naturedly as the blonde shooed them both out from around the counter.

"And that's when you don't _live_ with her." Diana continued with the teasing, shaking her head as they walked towards the door. "She's a tyrant!"

Chloe rolled her eyes as they slipped out the door, the blonde sitting down on the seat before looking down at her hands. They were usually uncovered now; the blonde did not see the use of hiding the burnt symbols on her hands. Sure, she got some looks and some of the older women would gasp in horror and ask what had happened to her, but she'd told them she'd carelessly picked up something that had been heated on the stove and the designs on the pot had seared into her hand. Diana's, Chloe attributed, to the brunette pushing the pot away from her after pulling Chloe's burnt hands free.

It was ludicrous but weirder things happened in Smallville and no one doubted the story at all.

Suddenly the front door swung open and a tall, leggy brunette sauntered in, a taller blonde guy with a hoodie entering after her. Both looked around the place, the brunette with interest and the blonde with wariness, before both zoned in on her at the same time.

Chloe tried to fight the alertness that zinged through her that said she had to keep an eye on these two and instead forced a smile to her lips. "Welcome to Potter's Potts, can I help you?"

"You sure can." The girl smirked, her single dimple going deep as she sauntered towards the counter. "Is this the only flower shop in Smallville?"

"Yes..." She raised an eyebrow in confusion at the question.

The guy followed at a more sedate pace.

Chloe waited until the two of them were standing opposite her at the counter to speak, a little taken back by the fact that they were both much taller than her. "So, how can I help?"

"We're new in town, just got in actually with some other friends, and we're looking for someone." The girl was straight to the point. "She'd be new in town so you'd know who she is in a place _this_ small."

"Her name's Diana Meade," the guy finally spoke, his eyes narrowed on Chloe. "You know where she is?"

Chloe didn't know these people, they could be Witch Hunters for all she knew, so she kept her smile on her face. "Diana Meade?" She slipped her hands into her pockets, hiding the symbols from them. "I'm not sure I know who that is."

The guy reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Diana, putting it down in front of her.

"Oh." Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"You recognize her." The brunette noticed.

"Yeah, she was here a couple of days ago with a blonde guy." She knew that Grant was blonde and so she wasn't lying to these guys (Whitney _was_ blonde too), but knew they'd assume she was talking about Grant. "I don't know if she's still in town though. I think they came to see someone and were going to be back on the road soon, or at least that's what I got from what I overheard them discussing."

"You've got to be joking me." The brunette shook her head, blinking. "She's not even _here_?" And with that she threw her hands in the air and stormed out.

Chloe watched her go before turning her gaze to the blonde guy, who was still here. "Did this girl tell you she was here?"

"She's a friend and we're worried about her." The guy eyed Chloe suspiciously, keeping the picture there between them. "We think she might be in trouble."

Chloe met his gaze straight on. "I'm sure she's fine."

The guy continued eyeing her before turning around and leaving as well, slipping the photo into his pocket.

Chloe waited until the door closed before grabbing her cellular and ringing Diana's number immediately as she hurried to the window and gazed out of the blinds, seeing the couple meet up with another boy and girl, talking amongst each other.

"I know you're hungry Your Highness but we've only just reached the-!" Diana answered with a giggle.

"Are you expecting someone?" Chloe went straight to the point, pulling away from the window when the people turned towards the store.

"No." Diana sounded odd. "Why do you-?"

"A guy and girl were just in here, flashing your picture around and saying they were looking for you."

There was silence, and then asked, "Was the girl blonde?"

"No, a brunette."

There was another pause. "Then who-?"

"They're here with some others, leave where you are and go to the Talon immediately. I'll come when I'm sure I'm not going to be followed."

"You think they're Witch Hunters."

"Just do it, Diana. And be careful." Hanging up, Chloe dialed another number and rested the phone between her ear and shoulder as she went to lock up the cash register. She threw her things into her bag, speaking up the second the dialing stopped. "There's a group of people looking for Diana, don't know who they are but they could be Witch Hunters. I need you to go to the Talon and wait for the others."

"Witch Hunters?" Greg's voice was dark.

"Maybe, I'm not sure, it's just a possibility." Chloe closed up her bag, whispering softly, the blinds all around her closing simultaneously. "Be careful, okay? They might know more than they're letting on and are just playing with us."

"Are you safe?" Greg wanted to know.

"They're not looking for _me._" She went to the window and gazed out through the blinds once more, finding them gone. "Call Whitney though, just in case. I'm leaving and don't want what I'm saying to be overheard in case they're hiding somewhere."

"If you don't arrived at the Talon within fifteen minutes of me..." Greg hung up on that threat.

Chloe took in a deep breath as she slipped through the door and locked up, changing the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. She looked around her before shucking her hands into her pockets and beginning to walk around back where her car was parked in the isolated parking space behind the shop. It was only as she reached the parking lot that she even thought about calling someone else, like her mother or Jason or Lex or-and it was already too late because there were footsteps behind her.

Stopping straight, Chloe turned and faced the group of four standing behind her. "The flower shop's closed for business right now."

"It's interesting how that only happened after we came," The blonde guy declared.

"Not really, it's lunch time." Chloe could bullshit with the best of them, trying not to let the fact that she was outnumbered and trapped in a place that was not visible from the road completely scare her. "Now if you excuse me-"

The tall brunette raised her hand and power flew out, sending Chloe flying back into her car. "You're not going anywhere."

Witches.

These were _witches_!

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked between the four of them. "What do you want?"

"The truth." A petite girl with dark curls declared. "Where is Diana Meade?"

The shorter boy nodded, eyes dark. "And don't lie to us."

The tall girl smirked. "Or we'll hurt you."

Chloe kept her hands pressed back against the car, breathing hard, her back still hurting from where she'd been thrown back into the vehicle. She looked between these four and tried weighing her options.

"Maybe you need some more convincing." The tall girl stepped forward with a wicked smirk.

"_Faye-_" the shorter male began.

But he didn't have the chance to say whatever he'd been about to say because Chloe had anticipated danger and her magic reacted, sending this Faye person flying into the brick wall _hard_, knocking the brunette out cold as she slumped to the ground.

The blonde male turned on Chloe, growling as he threw a curse at her and Chloe honestly reacted without thought. She ducked, the spell hitting her car and causing a dent in the work, and she had to roll away from another sent by the short girl. Chloe could feel her pendant warm against her chest and her dark magic begging to be let loose and yet she fought it as she managed to get on her feet and stumble out of the way in time for one of her car's windows to shatter.

The tall blonde male grabbed her as she stumbled and slammed her down on the hood of the car, forcing the oxygen out of her lung violently and Chloe retaliated by not only bringing up her knee hard against his family jewels but levitating him up in the air and rolling off of the hood, her magic slamming his body down through her windshield. She got on her feet and felt the spell coming at her and flung her hand out and sent the spell right back at the girl, who started screaming and rubbing at her eyes as she fell to her knees.

Pain suddenly raced through Chloe's body and she turned to see the boy holding his palm out towards her.

Dark magic.

_ Balcoin_ dark magic.

And yet he wasn't a Balcoin. His dominant palm didn't bare the mark.

That had to mean that... he'd killed a Balcoin and took his powers.

The realization hit Chloe worse than his curse, the blonde feeling fury unlike any other at the thought of one her siblings dead. It could be _Pete_ for all she knew! They could have been going around killing Balcoins and trying to absorb their powers!

Straightening from where she'd doubled with the pain, Chloe felt that fury bubbling deep inside her, numb to the shock on his face as suddenly he began to falter. She stormed towards him before grabbing his neck and pinning him against the wall.

"What did you do to Diana?" he spat, choking.

"Do you really think I'd let you do to her what you did to the person you stole this magic from?" she spat back, seeing his eyes widen. "_Murderer_."

His eyes widened. "_What_? NO! I-!"

And yet she didn't let him speak, tightening her grip on him, his hands flying backwards to be pinned above him. "That magic doesn't belong to you."

Her pendant was glowing as Chloe's hand around his neck tightened, forcing his mouth to stay open as he gasped for breath. She didn't know how she was doing this or if it was even possible, but she knew that the dark magic inside of him belonged to the Balcoins and that he had no right to it. It belonged to _her_ family and she wanted it _back_.

Once again her magic was acting independently and Chloe knew the boy wasn't the only one who was shocked when the dark magic began escaping his lips in the form of a black mist. It was almost like an enthrallment and yet instead of placing magic inside of someone else, Chloe was removing it, the dark bodiless mist trailing from his mouth to hers, filling her, causing little explosions behind her eyes as it continued to slither from him into her, integrating with her dark magic as if finding a long lost part of itself.

The tail end of the dark magic slipped from his mouth, slithering through the air between them before disappearing into her mouth and down her throat, the blonde letting him drop as she closed her eyes, feeling high and... and... different.

She sensed the murderous spell before it hit her, the spell hitting the shield that'd come up around her without the blonde realizing. She turned around as a petite blonde raced towards her, flinging curses left right and center. There was something familiar about this girl, about her magic, but Chloe was in a dark haze, her body acting on autopilot, her magic reacting.

The girl dropped to her knees, eyes wide and shocked as she gripped at her throat, almost as if completely taken back by the idea that she wasn't winning.

Chloe fought for control over the magic inside of her. The magic was pushing for her to kill this girl and the others, but especially this girl.

It wanted her dead.

It wanted Chloe to do it.

It whispered in her ear temptingly.

The shock was still visible on this other blonde's face as she tried to do magic, tried to do _anything_, but was unable to.

It was almost as if she'd thought herself invincible and was now terrified by the realization that she wasn't.

"_Please," _a hoarse voice said to her right.

Chloe turned towards the boy she'd sucked the dark magic out of.

"Please don't kill her." The boy slowly stood, grabbing his stomach.

The girl was lying on the ground, beginning to burn slightly, like those in the field – like those in the school.

"You attacked me," Chloe reminded him, her voice a growl. "I did nothing and _your people_ attacked _me_."

"We were wrong." He limped towards her.

She was on the alert, waiting for him to try and attack once more.

He didn't. "We're scared and worried about Diana. She disappeared and then she reappeared asking for her books-she just ran. We-we should have handled things better but Faye's a hothead and Jake's an asshole and Melissa was reacting to Faye getting hurt because they're best friends." He limped closer. "I didn't kill anyone for the dark magic. I swear." He flinched at the pain he was apparently feeling. "I was supposed to get rid of a crystal skull that had dark magic in it, but I was tempted and I was weak. I've always been weak. Cassie and Diana were in so much danger, everyone was dying, and I couldn't help. I wanted to be stronger, I-I was wrong. I should have done away with the magic and-I'm _sorry_." His eyes were so sincere. "Please don't kill her."

Chloe didn't know why she did it, why she stopped the magic slowly killing the other girl. There was just something about this guy... "If you're lying-if you're here to hurt Diana-I will _kill_ you."

He gulped before straightening. "I would never hurt Diana."

The trembling blonde on the ground was gasping in air gratefully, still suffering from the aftershocks as her skin slowly healed itself back now that Chloe had removed the curse on her.

"I _will_ kill you if you do." She needed him to know this.

He nodded. "I'm Adam Conant."

She didn't recognize the name.

He realized this, licking his lips. "Diana was a part of my Circle-she used to be my girlfriend at one point."

And that was when it hit her _who_ these people were.

Chloe's eyes widened as she gazed at the fallen (mostly unconscious and badly hurt) members of Diana's old Circle.

That meant...

Her green eyes went to the blonde who was shivering viciously on the ground.

Diana had mentioned once that Cassie was blonde, just like Chloe.

Oh boy.

Chloe might have said that out loud because Adam turned to look at her (he'd followed her gaze to Cassie) and before she knew it, Chloe's world was spinning. She felt herself tipping over when someone grabbed her and it took her a minute to realize the one straining to keep her from falling was actually Adam Conant.

And then a couple of things happened at once as her world began to grow dark and the exhaustion of her overuse of magic began to kick in...

"_What did you do to her?_" Clark gasped.

"_I'm going to kill you_!" Whitney snarled.

"_It's not what it looks like!_" Adam tried.

"_You're dead_." Greg promised.

"_Adam_?" Diana cried out in horror.

And then everything went silent.

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It had taken forever for Diana to get the boys to agree not to kill the others, even more to agreed to take the injured witches to the Talon, and it'd been _near impossible_ but somehow she'd managed to convince Whitney to tend to the injured (or, errr, _everyone_). Even now, though, Diana could tell that the three boys wanted nothing more than to fight, although Clark seemed much less _hostile_ towards her friends. He could understand why they'd done what they'd done, but if Chloe ended up being seriously hurt because of their ganging up on her, Diana could sense that his hostility would grow. Greg flat out ignored them all except to give them dirty, distrustful looks, he and Jake seeming to be most hostile towards each other.

Thankfully for Jake, his clothes had somehow taken the brunt of the hit, so while he _was_ cut and scratched, things could have been a lot worse and they all knew it.

Melissa was applying the drops of herbal water Whitney had silently passed her, the girl had to apply the drops to her horribly red eyes every couple of minutes.

Adam seemed to have injured his ribs despite not having received any physical blows and was the one explaining how this had all come to happen.

Cassie sat quietly in a chair and hadn't said a word yet to anyone.

Faye held a bag of ice to the back of her head against the swollen lump throbbing there. "This was some welcome party Diana. See if I care whether you live or die ever again."

"You attacked her." Diana found herself defending Chloe without a second thought. "What did you expect her to do? Just take it without defending herself?"

"Defending herself?" Jake narrowed his eyes at Diana. "She nearly _killed_ us!"

"But she didn't." Surprisingly enough it was _Adam_ who was defending Chloe, gaze going to the upstairs room the blonde was resting in. "She could have easily killed us all but she didn't. I think we should give her some credit."

"Right, everything's dandy now," Faye grumbled.

"We could have handled things better." Melissa sighed, blinking hard around the liquid she was still spurting in her eyes. "We thought she was keeping you here prisoner and Faye just went all Commando and-"

"Hey! Don't blame me!" Faye cried out towards her best friend.

"Point is, we all have blame in the situation." Melissa was, as always, much more levelheaded than her bestie. "On behalf of the group, I apologize for attacking Chloe and I hope that she's fine."

Faye scoffed, looking away, lips purse rebelliously.

Melissa elbowed her.

"_What_?" Faye snapped at her before pouting unhappily at Melissa's expression, the girl entering an obvious sulk. "_Fine_." She rolled her eyes. "I should have gotten my facts straight before using magic."

"What is she?" Cassie finally spoke, an odd expression on her face.

"What do you _mean_ what is she?" Clark wanted to know. "A witch, obviously."

Cassie sent him a look before licking her lips, visibly troubled. "I've never-I went up against _dad_ and yet I've never felt-"

"You went up against John with the help of both the crystal and myself." Diana felt she needed to remind Cassie of that. These were her first words to her sister since their reunion. "Chloe's the Firstborn, she's more powerful than any of us."

"Especially now." Adam lowered his head.

Diana sent him a look. "What do you mean?"

"I-I-" Adam gulped, unable to look up. "I didn't destroy the crystal skull and the dark magic inside of it."

Everyone went still.

"You're screwing with us." Jake's eyes went wide. "You're Boy Scout. You're all noble and crap. It's why we _trusted_ you to destroy it!"

"Well I _didn't_," Adam snapped.

"What did you do, Adam?" Cassie eyed him with worry.

Faye narrowed her gaze on Adam before those orbs widened. "You absorbed the magic for yourself!"

"Adam wouldn't do that!" Melissa snapped before turning to him. "Right?"

His head lowered further. "I felt so weak-I wanted to be able to help more, to be more useful, but I couldn't control it. It wouldn't come out when I wanted it to, acted when I didn't want it to, and it was battling me, trying to overcome me-it's why I've been so moody, so distant-so..."

Diana's eyes widened. "What-what does this have to do with Chloe?"

Adam licked his lips, finally looking up at her. "She sucked it out of me."

Greg choked on the water he'd been drinking, pounding his chest as he coughed. "She did _what_ to you?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter Arkin," Whitney chided, turning his blues on Adam. "That would be what I felt then-why the star burned."

"The star-?" Melissa eyed him curiously.

He rubbed his fingers over the star on his palm before turning it to show her. "Whenever something happens to Chloe, I feel it through this. I felt something happening, and while I thought it might be the fight, it was probably her absorbing back the Balcoin dark magic from Adam."

"Wicked tat," Jake had to admit, eyeing the winged serpent design around the star.

Clark and Greg exchanged looks at that.

"She's _powerful_," Cassie whispered, seeming still stuck on that issue. "She turned the witch-burning spell on me – I didn't think it'd work on Balcoins! I – there was nothing – I can't-" She gulped, leaning hard against the sofa. "I've never been able to _not_ do something. I-"

It was obvious to all that this had been a big blow to Cassie and she was still suffering from it, the girl stammering and deep in thought and obviously greatly disturbed. But she was also fascinated, but then again Diana shouldn't be surprised. Cassie had been the same way with John when she'd met him. The blonde had been distrustful and resentful of him, but she'd also been in awe and fascinated by the power and knowledge he'd possessed.

"So what now?" Jake looked around them. "We know that Diana's fine and she's here of her own free will."

"Can you blame her?" Faye raised an eyebrow, gazing up at the door above. "We got shortchanged on our Balcoin. I'd like to trade ours for Voldemort Barbie."

"Really Faye?" Melissa shook her head. "Stop being so hard on Cassie all the time."

"I'm the only one who ever is," Faye growled. "To everyone else, she's always perfect." Her smirk was vindictive. "Call me a masochist but I'd gladly get thrown into that wall again if it means I could actually _see_ her getting taken down."

Cassie didn't rise to the bait, used to Faye's rotten attitude towards her by now. "What aren't you telling us, Diana?"

Diana worried her bottom lip. "It's not my story to tell."

"And I don't see any reason why you people need to know it anyway," Greg snapped. "How I see it, the sooner you leave the better."

"Are you looking for a fight?" Jake stood up, flinching at the pain in his body and yet ready for anything that might come his way.

"Now why would I add insult to injury?" Greg sneered at the blonde. "You already got your ass handed to you by a _girl_."

Jake clenched his fists yet was unable to deny that.

"Diana hasn't chosen us over you," Clark spoke carefully, ever the peacemaker it would seem. "But Chloe needs her help so she's sticking around to help her. She's being a good person so I don't think you should hold it against her."

"She needs you so you're staying." Cassie licked her lips, unable to look at Diana.

The brunette didn't need the petite blonde to say it to hear the silent "I needed you and you left".

"When we stopped John from killing every witch that wasn't a Balcoin, we doomed her to servitude." Diana knew her voice was harsh, and yet the self-pitying and resentful look on Cassie's face was replaced with confusion. "Before she was even born he _sold her_ to a Circle of witches who are here ready to bring her to heel. She's their slave. I know we did the right thing stopping him, but it's also the reason why she's stuck in the deal _he_ made." Diana raised her chin. "I'm not going to stop until I've found a way to get her out of it."

Understanding crossed Adam's face, as it did with Jake and Melissa.

Jake backed down, obviously not sure what to say.

Cassie was silent, trying to take everything in.

Faye blinked. "Damn. Your father was _Satan_." She snorted in dark amusement. "And you thought he shortchanged _you_!"

"What happened to "that wasn't your story to tell"?" Greg grumbled, going to stand next to Diana.

"I'm sorry." Diana licked her lips. "I needed them to understand."

"Understand what exactly?" a voice asked from above them, everyone looking up to see Chloe sitting on the railing on the staircase up above. "First you say they can't know and then you blab it. Don't you think that's kind of contradictory?"

"Jesus!" Whitney hissed, eyes widening. "What are you trying to do? Kill yourself? Get down this instant!"

Chloe eyed him before doing some sort of gymnastic move and ending up standing on the railing, hands out around her as she balanced easily. "You really want me to get down?" She lifted one foot into the air ahead of her as if she was about to step off of the railing. "Really?"

"What are you doing?" Clark looked like he was about to faint. "Don't play around like that!"

"I don't know." Greg grinned brightly up at her. "It's kinda cool."

Diana stood, slapping Greg's arm as she stared up at Chloe, pale. "Chloe, step back off the railing and-"

"Okay." And then Chloe stepped off of the railing and stood in the air.

Everyone gasped, some rising from their seats.

Chloe watched them before bursting out into laughter that was more like cackles. "You should see the look on your faces! It's almost as good as hers in the bathroom!" She fell to her knees in the air, laughing. "Humans. You're so funny!"

Whitney narrowed his eyes. "Hello, Scales."

Chloe's gaze went to his before she blinked and her eyes went serpentine. "You see, that's why I like you. Everyone else underestimates you because you're not blood, but you have potential. It's why I hope you make Hand."

"Hand?" Whitney's eyes narrowed.

"What's going on?" Adam asked Diana.

Diana could only look up at the doppelgänger Chloe had told her about, shocked at how perfectly this creature (was it truly a serpent?) could mimic her sister's physical form and voice.

"She's doing well, I'm proud of her." Chloe – _Scales_, as Whitney called her/it – began walking down the air as if on stairs. "She retrieved something which was taken," her gaze went to Adam, "and also easily put down insurrection in her blood." Those serpentine orbs rested on Cassie. "And quite easily – I thought you'd give her more of a fight." There was obviously a little disappoint in her voice. "If they'd have known that you'd be such an easy adversary, they would have chosen to bring one of her brothers instead of you."

"No one _brought_ me here." Cassie glared up at the doppelgänger.

"You keep telling yourself that, sweetie," Scales declared in a condescending way. "Just know that no one is here by coincidence." Her gaze turned to Adam. "Not only did she take back the power that you had taken for yourself – power that would have driven you insane, not only did she bring down her blood without raising a hand, but the both of you were yet another test for her." Scales' gaze went to the upstairs room. "You were a test to see if she could stop. If she could control the desire to kill you… especially you, Cassie. They were _really_ pushing for her to kill you and yet she didn't. She stopped. She wouldn't have failed if she'd have killed you, mind you, but it's still interesting to find out what she's made of."

"What do you get out of this?" Greg wanted to know, eyeing his best friend's double. "Who are you?"

"You may call me Scales, I don't mind that name. I've been called far worse." She laughed, a forked tongue hissing out from between her lips and she smirked at their reaction to seeing such inhuman qualities to their friend's face. "You can let Chloe know, when she wakes up, that she's passed the initiation tests. Now that she's devoured the dark magic that was trapped in that crystal skull, things are going to get _very_ interesting."

"Trapped in there?" Cassie made a face. "But I thought John was – that he had – _he_ corrupted the skull and it's magic. It was-"

"If the crystal skull was so benevolent, why do you think it was hidden and its pieces guarded?" Scales shook her head, her skin slowly turning scaly. "It was a powerful weapon because it had powerful dark magic trapped inside of it, magic only a certain Balcoin could truly control."

"My father," Cassie whispered, clenching her fists.

"No." Scales shook her head. "Francis Balcoin."

"Okay, I'm confused," Faye mumbled.

Clark took a step towards the figure who was still standing in the air. "The dark magic in that crystal skull was _Francis Balcoin's_."

"Ding ding! We have a winner! Someone give the cutie's muscles a little _squeeze_." Scales chuckled, far too amused with the whole situation. "Betrayed by his _own_ family, his dark magic was pulled from him and stored into that crystal skull, killing him in the process and ending his reign of terror." Those serpent's eyes went to Diana and Cassie. "But you two would know _all_ about killing daddy, wouldn't you? Don't worry, don't feel _too_ bad. Killing family's in your blood."

Diana gulped, sending Cassie a little uncomfortable look.

Cassie lowered her gaze.

"Oh well, it'll be interesting to see what happens when she wakes up," Scales declared curiously, sending the room a look. "_If_ she wakes up. Just between you and me, when she snuck out of her room, Francis' magic seemed to be the one in control."

"Wait, _what_?" Diana's eyes widened.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Scales brought her fingers to her lips. "But that's why I appeared."

"What do you _mean_ she snuck out?" Cassie stepped forwards.

"She didn't. Though she did. Consider it sleep walking. Magic walking. Dream walking?" Scales tapped her finger on her lips thoughtfully before shrugging. "Whatever. Wouldn't want to be Luthor though."

"Lex?" Whitney narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Well, it was a _Luthor_ who helped kill Francis Balcoin," Scales declared. "Along with a Capet and a Thoreaux. If I were Francis Balcoin's essence, I'd want revenge, wouldn't you?"

Cursing, Whitney turned and ran towards the front door.

Diana was right behind him.

Scales' laughter hissed behind them.

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**TBC**


	34. Out Of Hand

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"What's the chance of this being a coincidence? The timing I mean?" Moira wanted to know, arms folded over her chest as she eyed them.

"Very low." Lex's gaze was on the shadows outside the window of his study. "If it wasn't for the fact that my father is still calling to yell at me about my incompetence, I'd think he was onto me and punishing me by attacking my Circle and showing me just how "powerless" they are."

"So you think some other Circle knows what you're up to and are trying to-what?" Gabe made a face from where he sat, arms folded in front of him. "What could they possibly get out of this?"

"That's what we're still not sure about." Jason let out a sigh as he leaned against the wall. "All we know is that whoever is doing this isn't afraid of us. If anything they're taunting us. They want us to know what's going on and that they're coming for us."

Moira's gaze went to the coffee table where the male and female ring fingers were in a transparent container on ice. "Why are they keeping them alive?"

"You can't be sure they are," Gabe reminded her.

"They're alive. Otherwise it would be their heads they'd be sending." Moira was sure of this. She stood, gaze going around the room, annoyed with it and the Luthors in general. Only pretentious people would have suits of armor and weapons on the walls and other priceless antiques like this where anyone could grab them; they felt so safe, obviously not considering anyone a true threat. "What I really want to know is why we should care what happens to your Circle? If you ask me, the destruction of any Luthor Circle is the best thing that could happen to my daughter."

Gabe was silent but obviously in agreement.

A muscle jumped in Jason's cheek. "I don't think you get that if something happens to our Circle our parents are gonna take Chloe and _that_ is not in her best interest. Not when they only see her as a weapon they can use."

"And you see her differently?" Moira mocked, knowing all about the kisses this boy had shared with her daughter thanks to sisterly talks and thin walls. "Are you in love with her?"

Jason's eyes widened before he looked away. "Of course not." His hazels returned to her darkly. "But I'd treat her a hell of a lot better than my parents would, especially my mother." His gaze went to Lex's back. "As would Lex compared to Lionel."

"That's not much, isn't it? "Compared to" just makes me think she should choose the lesser evil – which still leaves her in the clutches of evil, lesser or not." Gabe eyed them all calmly. "So why should we help you?"

"Because, for now, Chloe and I are of an agreement," Lex finally turned to look at them, face severe. "And if we're to help her through her Trials, and should there be need for a fight, we'd be more use to her as a full Circle than as a broken trio."

Moira's gaze went to his palm, to where the winged snake tattoo just like hers was. She hated the fact that he and Jason Teague were a part of the Trials, hated the fact that she couldn't just kill him without endangering her daughter's chances of passing them. Lex and Jason were there that night by predestination, that's how it was with the Trials, and if so, they were there because Chloe would need them both during at least one part of her Trials.

Damn.

She opened her mouth to tell him that she was not one of his employees and the only reason she was doing this was because of Chloe when suddenly movement by the door caused her to look over. Her blues widened when she saw Chloe standing in the doorway, eyeing them all in silence, seeming so small next to the suit of armor next to the door. "Chloe?"

Everyone turned to look at her, surprised.

"I didn't hear you drive up honey." Gabe's eyes widened.

"She didn't drive in." Lex tilted his head slightly as he eyed her, blues narrowed somewhat.

Chloe stood there in silence, just watching them, as if deciding on something.

"Did something happen?" Jason wanted to know, taking a couple of steps towards her.

The only answer the blonde gave was to grab the sword from the suit of armor, removing it from its sheathe and holding it in front of her.

Jason stopped his movement, hazels widening slightly as he raised his hand. "Chloe? What are you-?"

"Chloe, what-?" Gabe stood rapidly.

Gaze going to her father, the teenager grabbed the sword by its blade and flung it at the shocked and horrified man.

Moira hissed as she threw herself in front of Gabe and held her hands out, stopping the blade before it could pierce them both. "What are you-?"

But Chloe wasn't in the doorway anymore, having seemingly disappeared when everyone's gazes had followed the sword.

The sword clattered to the ground.

Moira's gaze went to where Chloe was now between Lex and Jason, eyeing them thoughtfully.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Jason snapped at the girl. "That's your father! You-!"

Chloe eyed him, swung her gaze in the opposite direction towards a wary Lex, and then she threw her hands outwards facing them, an eruption of black sending Jason flying out of the room and into something loudly and Lex flying out the window.

"Chloe?" Gabe whispered.

Her green gaze turned towards them.

Moira held one hand out in front of Gabe to keep him from going to the girl. "That's not Chloe."

"What do you mean-? That is Chloe!" Gabe snapped at Moira.

"Look at her eyes, Gabe." Moira's hand turned to a clawed paw as she continued to keep her arm in front of him, blocking his path. "Really look at them."

"What are you-?" And then he went silent, obviously seeing what she had.

Those eyes were blank and dull, no bit of life or awareness in them.

Chloe continued eyeing them before turning and walking out of the room through the broken window frame, stepping out into the night.

Moira felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"What happened to her?" Gabe whispered.

"I don't know." She moved towards the door, watching the blonde kick Lex, who was trying to get up, sending him flying far. "But I think Luthor's in deep shit right about now."

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Lex got to his feet, hand to his hurting ribs as he kept the girl in his full vision. She was walking easily towards him as if she hadn't sent him through a window and then kicked him as he was trying to get up. He didn't understand what was going on. He knew the girl a little, that was true, but what he did know made him realize that she wouldn't willingly do something like this. Especially not when they were (however briefly) allies. It made him sharp, aware, eyeing the girl and watching her every move. He noticed the dullness in her eyes, the stiff way she held herself and the slight (almost unnoticeable) twitches she'd give now and again. It was almost robotic.

For a moment he believed she'd been bewitched, but he quickly discarded that idea. Sure, witches could bespell each other to force them to do things, but they were always conscious and aware of what they were doing, just unable to stop themselves no matter how hard they tried, able to verbally convey this to others. The only sort of enchantment a witch could do to the other where the other person wasn't conscious of the fact that what they were doing was against their own will was the Balcoin Enthrallment – which was what made it so desirable because the one under the spell truly thought that they were the ones who wanted to do whatever it was they were doing and would go to any length to "please" their enthraller.

Chloe's actions were different though.

It was almost as if she were sleepwalking – or a puppet whose strings someone else was controlling.

And whoever was controlling her at this moment wanted him dead.

He couldn't help but wonder if the person behind this was also behind the kidnapping and obvious torture Tess and Oliver were going through.

"Chloe, I doubt you're the type to let anyone else control you and tell you what to do." Lex figured that deep down inside, some part of her subconscious was registering what was happening. "Fight this before I have to kill you."

Because Firstborn or not, he wasn't going to just let her kill him; he was going to live.

Chloe stopped walking at him, that twitch returning for a second before her lips curved in a wicked smile, the blacks of her eyes growing and expanding slightly. It was the only warning he had before that cloud of black rippled out of her and sent him flying back into a tree, forcing the breath from his lungs. She followed him off of the path and into the garden.

Lex raised his hand and whispered an incantation, vines raising from the ground at her feet and wrapping around her like chains, keeping her in place.

Chloe struggled against their hold almost curiously before her eyes flashed and the vines began to wither, the girl shrugging off their hold ridiculously easily as she took another step towards him.

Lex hissed as he pushed away from the tree, the curse she'd sent his way slicing through the wood in half causing the top of the tree to come crumbling down. The ground trembled as it made contact, but the witch didn't notice as he sent a hissed curse in her direction, fire encircling the girl and forcing her to stay where she was... until she backed off a little and jumped through the flames, yanking off her jacket as it caught on fire.

The hell was going on?

Jason appeared out of the shadows and tackled her to the ground, pinning her to the grass under his weight. "Calm the fuck down!"

She struggled under him for a second before... kneeing him in the balls.

With a choked cry Jason collapsed on the ground next to her.

With one fluid movement, Chloe had their positions reversed, the blonde straddling Jason's curled up body, bringing her lips to his and kissing him deeply.

Lex's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing, taking a couple of steps towards them despite knowing he was too late.

And yet...

...Chloe pulled her lips from Jason's face visibly disturbed as she gazed down at him. She didn't even seem to pay Lex any mind as she swooped back down to kiss Jason, who reached up and slipped his hands into her hair, pulling her closer, seeming to have forgotten about his agony as he kissed back.

Moira and Gabe finally arrived, both seeming quite unhappy with what they were seeing.

Chloe yanked herself back and away from Jason, stumbling backwards, eyes wide, face flushed and confusion obvious in her every feature.

Jason leaned up on his elbows. "So that goes to prove that she's not doing this. Even if you're using her body you can't enthrall me, it's something only she could do. It's an ability unique to her, not her body." His eyes narrowed on her. "So who are you?"

Her face went dark with anger, hands twitching maniacally.

"Chloe, you're obviously somewhat aware of what's going on." Lex tried getting through to the girl. "You're going to have to fight this and prove you're stronger than whatever is doing this to you. Get back the control of your own body."

Her head twitched slightly before she rolled her head and sneered.

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His star was itching like crazy, so much so that he'd had to pull over and let Diana drive because it was so distracting. His whole right arm was beginning to hurt, to ache, Whitney looking out of the window as he held onto his arm, wincing through the pain. Behind him he could hear the cars of the others following behind, Greg's motorcycle having overtaken them when they'd stopped to swap drivers. The blonde was sitting between Diana and Adam, who had somehow slipped into the truck before they'd taken off.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked worriedly, eyeing Whitney.

"I've never felt anything like this before." Whitney's voice was a harsh groan, a spike of pain rushing through his whole arm. "Whatever's going on with her is not good."

Diana pressed down even harder on the gas, overtaking Greg on the road leading to the Luthor Manor. "It's right ahead. We'll be there in five minutes at the most."

"What exactly do you guys plan on doing when you get there?" Adam wanted to know. "We went against her when it was only her magic involved. But that's Francis Balcoin's magic that's taken over here. That combined with her own – I don't think there's anything you guys can really do."

"We'll get through to her somehow." Diana wouldn't look away from the road, her body tense. "You got through to her when she was going to kill Cassie."

"Yes, but the new magic hadn't taken over at that point." Adam had a point there. "Also, if she's going to kill the Luthor Circle guys here – I'm not pro-killing or anything but wouldn't that be best considering that they're the ones that own her?"

"It's not just that." Whitney groaned when a new spike of pain caused him to clench his fist tightly. "If we don't get to her now, help her retake control, it might be too late. It might take permanent control and basically make her the new Francis Balcoin."

Diana tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "We're here." With that she checked the review mirror before slamming down on the brakes, coming close to ramming into the cars there.

Whitney and Adam barely kept from hitting the windshield, the blonde groaning as Adam opened the door and the two stumbled out. "You are never driving my truck again!" And then he cried, nearly dropping to the ground when another spike of pain, worse and worse each time, seared his arm.

Diana didn't stop, instead racing around the Manor where electricity seemed to be sparking in the air.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked Whitney.

"Yeah." He nodded, trying to catch his breath. "Go with her."

Adam didn't need to be told twice, racing after Diana.

Greg got off his motorcycle and hurried towards him as Cassie's Circle and Clark hurried after Diana and Adam. "What's wrong, man?"

"I'm fine." And then the pain finally drove him to his knees.

Greg groaned before reaching down and flinging Whitney's good arm around his shoulder, pulling them both up as he began to help the two of them slowly towards the back.

"You mention this ever-" Whitney began.

Greg snorted. "Dude, save your breath and be prepared for my imminent blackmail."

Whitney groaned, yet there was a slight chuckle through his pain as they hurried their pace somewhat.

When they finally made it around to the back, they found everyone in the garden.

Lex and Jason were pinned against different statues, black shadows coiling around them like electric snakes, electrical charges seeming to erupt from Chloe and surge into them at irregular intervals, obviously she wasn't aiming to kill them... yet... enjoying hurting them first.

Moira and Gabe stood there, not trying to help, just watching.

"Chloe, come on." Diana took a step towards her despite Cassie telling her to stay back with the others. "You don't want to do this. You need to get control. This is Francis Balcoin, not you."

Chloe's greens were hardly visible, the black of her eyes having taken over most of her orbs as she turned them on Diana.

"Come on Chloe," Diana pleaded. "Get control."

"Or what?" Chloe's voice was raspy, almost as if she hadn't spoken in a million years and her vocal cords were damaged, rusty. "You'll kill me like you did your father?"

Diana's eyes widened.

"You never told her that, just that you were involved. You never came out and said you and your little sister killed your father and then gave me to that weak little bitch-boy to do away with." It was obvious that the one talking was Francis Balcoin and not Chloe. "You're just like the dirt that turned on me, that killed me and forced my essence to be prisoner in that crystal for all these years." She took a step towards Diana. "You're _filth_."

"Stay away from her!" Cassie hurried forwards to stand next to Diana, holding her Balcoin scarred hand outwards towards Chloe.

Chloe didn't speak anymore, a smirk curling her lips, the blacks of her eyes expanding even further and suddenly both Diana and Cassie were lifted viciously into the air, both girls grabbing at their throats and crying out, gasping for air.

Jake, Melissa and Adam hurried forwards to help their friends but a wave of darkness exploded from Chloe and drove them to the ground, forcing them face down into the grass, unable to move.

Faye, who hadn't moved, just gulped. But she also looked fascinated, if not a little scared.

"Chloe." Clark got her to turn towards him. "You've got to fight it. Remember when we were younger and Jackie Dunbar purposely scared the horse you were on so you'd fall? Remember you were hurt and scared and angry? Remember how Pete and I wanted to get back at Jackie somehow?"

Chloe tilted her head as she eyed Clark near curiously.

"You told us not to because karma was a bitch and would get her without you having to do anything." Clark came a little closer. "You said you wouldn't dirty yourself by hurting her. Even though she could have gotten you seriously hurt. Do you remember that? This isn't you, okay? Just-just fight it."

Chloe's head twitched, her expression pained for a second as agony raced down Whitney's arm, and then the pain was gone and so was her expression, the blonde taking menacing steps towards Clark.

He wasn't backing down. "I know you're in there, Chloe. You need to take back control."

Chloe twitched again, her back to Whitney, whose arm felt on fire with pain once more.

And that was when he realized that the pain he felt wasn't the power overtaking her, it was every time Chloe tried to regain back control. It was in those twitches, that was when she'd feel the searing pain and so would he. She was fighting. She was. But it was as if she was under some sort of sleeping spell and needed to wake up.

Clark suddenly collapsed to his knees, crying out in pain as he grabbed at his head, tears of blood beginning to seep from his eyes.

Whitney's eyes widened and he turned to Greg. "I need you to keep her attention off of me."

"Can you stand?" the brunet asked and when Whitney nodded, he let go, cracking his scarred knuckles with a cheeky grin as he began walking towards Chloe. "Now, you see, _this_ is fun!"

Chloe turned her attention off of Clark and onto Greg, eyebrow raised slightly.

"You know, I get why you're doing this," Greg announced, eyeing Lex and Jason with little interest before returning his dark orbs to her. "Do unto others as they've done unto you, I say." He put his hands into his jacket's pocket and approached slightly. "I know where the Thoreaux is, you know. She's not here. She's on the road." He smirked. "But if I helped you, I'd want something for it."

Chloe's back was fully to Whitney as he crept towards her as silently as he could, no pain to be felt. A part of him was relieved and yet the other worried because that pain meant Chloe was still fighting. If there wasn't any pain it meant she _wasn't_ fighting anymore.

"Witch Hunters killed my dad." Greg pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his jacket. "I want revenge... which is why I get what you're doing." He lit the cigarette and breathed in the smoke before letting it out through his nostrils. "Also, I wouldn't just kill these two because the body you're inhabiting is owned by the Luthor Circle, so you should probably hunt down the others in this Circle, give them a good shank, and then their parents as well while you're at it."

Chloe tilted her head to the side as she observed him.

"Chloe..." Diana whispered, choked, obviously about to pass out. "Please."

Chloe turned her gaze towards Diana, almost curious. "Please what? You betrayed her at the first chance you got and spilled your guts to everyone. Why should she _cared_ if I rip your throat out?"

Pain spiked in Whitney's arm, filling him with overwhelming relief. Chloe was still in there, still trying to fight.

"I was-," Diana struggled for enough breath to talk. "I didn't want Cassie to re-re-sent her more, for her to see that there was more to the story than her own suffering. I'm _trying_-to protect Chloe-the only way I can!"

Cassie, while completely red in the face from lack of oxygen, looked stricken.

A strong wave of agony rushing through Whitney as Chloe's face visibly winced in pain, the blonde grabbing her head and crying out. Diana's body dropped, the brunette gasping greedily for breath on the ground as she was released from the hold of the spell.

Whitney finally reached behind Chloe, using the distraction as she held her head and cried. He grabbed the girl and yanked her around to face him. "Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty." And like that one day so many months ago, Whitney pulled the girl to him and kissed her.

The body against him was shocked still for a second, and then (most probably when she'd realized that he was pushing a little bit of his magic into her as he had that first kiss, trying to incite a reaction) the girl began slamming her fists into his chest. But Whitney held on, even as he felt a spark of her magic clasp onto his and agony raced through his whole body through their connection. He pulled onto her tighter, knowing he was probably hurting her too but it was all he could do to try and withstand the pain as he continued to kiss her, feeling her magic drawing out slowly like a leak from a dam it'd been caged up behind, and then that leak became a spring and then...

...Something exploded like a bomb, working outwards before covering everyone and then rushing back inside of Chloe like an implosion.

The pain disappeared, Chloe going limp in his arms and Whitney wasn't strong enough to hold her, falling down as well. The two of them lay side by side on the grass and suddenly there was a rumble above them as it began to rain down glowing rain drops, falling on those behind the Luthor Manor.

Chloe's body slowly turned, her head resting on Whitney's arm as she finally spoke, voice tired and pained. "What... are we doing... lying on the grass in the rain?"

Whitney turned his head towards her, letting out a little chuckle that hurt his body all over. "So you don't remember anything?"

"My body hurts and my mind's foggy." She tried to lift her head when she heard the groans all around her but couldn't, wincing and resting her head back down against Whitney's arm. "I did something I'm going to have to apologize for, didn't I?"

Despite it all he laughed, shaking his head as he reached his free hand over to sweep locks of wet hair from her face – pausing when he realized something. "What the?"

The six point star with the winged serpent around it was gone. Instead it was replaced by a new design. It was a Hamsa, but instead of an eye in the middle of the hand the Balcoin symbol was displayed proudly.

Whitney's eyes widened, something Scales' had said sinking in. "I've made Hand."

"Huh?" Chloe eyed him in confusion before grabbing his hand and turning it slightly so she could see the design. "What-?"

And then Whitney noticed her own star had changed into a star heptagon, a winged serpent within the design itself. But what really got his attention was that the uppermost right point touched a miniature of the Hamsa on his palm. "This was a test." Both for her and him. "She even gave me a clue and I didn't get it."

Hadn't Scales said she hoped he made Hand?

Whitney laid back down his head and laughed despite the pain.

He could feel Chloe's confused gaze on him. "Whitney? Are you okay?"

He just continued laughing, which was just as well given the fact that it was around that moment that Moira, Gabe, Diana, Clark and Greg made it to them and pulled the two up.

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TBC


	35. Warm Up

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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Apparently a couple of men who'd "taken off" had called their family or friends in Smallville; some had Skyped, more than a couple of them had actually returned to Smallville for a few days before going again after retrieving their things. Slowly people were beginning to truly believe that those guys had left of their own free will and the whispers were no longer of how something evil was afoot. No, now they were whispering about how men couldn't be trusted and about whores who stole men from their families and other such things. Also, the women had banded together in a "we hate men" club, with Greg hoping none of them turned lesbian because according to him none of the women were attractive and "only hot chicks should be lez".

Somehow the guys from Diana's Circle had ended up camped around Chloe's house. Diana had moved into Chloe's room so Faye, Melissa and Cassie could have the guest room with the pull out couch and Jake and Adam weren't exactly happy about having to share the sofa bed downstairs but they were suffering in silence (mostly).

The next day, after a good long sleep, Chloe had slowly gotten her memories of the night before back and, while her body was still in pain from the magical strain it'd been under, she had to admit that she was more ashamed than anything else. And hella uncomfortable. She'd tried killing everyone who was now in her house - Greg, Clark and Whitney were there all day starting early every morning, almost as if to make sure that she wasn't outnumbered by Diana's group, and Jason and Lex were over having meetings with Gabe and Moira about the disappearance of two of their Circle members.

Lex had run some tests on her the morning after and had discovered that somehow when her own magic had broken free, it'd trapped Francis Balcoin's magic within her and wasn't letting it free. On one hand this was good because it meant that her magic had gained control and she was now dominant over her own body again and yet on the other hand, this was really bad because her body was treating the other magic like a foreign agent and as long as it was always kept apart in her like this, it might break away and try to take over again.

"It disintegrated after I absorbed the last bit of dark magic." Adam shook his head at the idea of transferring the dark magic back into the crystal skull. "It's gone."

"I still can't believe Boy Scout Conant actually did that." Jake shook his head, obviously highly enjoying the fact that Adam had done something wrong.

"Let it rest, Armstrong," Adam snapped at him. "I made a mistake. You out of everyone should know what it's like to royally screw up."

Jake looked away, point apparently made.

"If you need a human vessel to put it in..." Faye raised her hand. "I humbly volunteer."

No one paid her any mind.

"Why take it out?" Cassie asked, causing everyone to turn to look at her.

Chloe didn't know what to think about the blonde. Chloe really hadn't known her for more than two days, had tried to kill her twice, and they really hadn't had any sort of conversation since Chloe had returned to her senses. She could feel that Cassie was just as intrigued with her as she was with the other blonde, but she could also feel some resentment towards her and Chloe got that (hadn't Diana even pointed it out during the second attack citing it as a reason why she explained the situation, so Cassie would stop being resentful and understand that the issue was bigger than her own problems?). And yet Cassie was resentful _because of Diana_ and the relationship the brunette had developed with Chloe during the little amount of time the two had known each other. And there was something between those two sisters, some sort of awkwardness, guilt and wariness. Whenever Cassie seemed to see that those feelings didn't exist between _Chloe_ and Diana that resentment seemed to grow, even if just a little.

"You can't be serious." Clark made a face. "You saw what happened when it got loose and took over her."

"Yeah, because it was all at once and overtook her like a virus overriding her system," Cassie declared, folding her arms over her chest as she stared at him defiantly. "But what if we got her body used to it little at a time so that her magic could develop an immunity to it and override it?"

Lex eyed Cassie for a moment before smirking. "I see what you mean. Leave a little leak in the magical barrier she has around it so that only a little bit comes out – just enough for her body to be able to neutralize and convert its essence to her own."

"Something like that." Cassie shrugged.

Chloe stood, a little annoyed at how everyone talked about her as if she wasn't there. She grabbed the empty plates and took them into the kitchen as her mother and father began arguing with Lex about exactly how safe that procedure would be and the chances that the essence wouldn't still overpower hers, albeit this time slower and more permanent.

In the kitchen, Chloe put the plates into the sink and turned on the water, drowning out the sounds of arguing going on in the living room, green gaze going out of the kitchen window at the kids playing outside carefree.

"So what's it like?"

Chloe gasped, jerking around, her heart in her throat, not having heard the other girl enter the kitchen. "What?"

Cassie took in a deep breath, almost as if needing courage as she stepped forward, eyeing Chloe warily. "What's it like having Francis Balcoin's magic in you? I got a little feeling of it when Diana and I used the skull against John and it was intoxicating. I can't imagine what it must be like to have that _inside_ of you."

No one had asked her that yet, surprisingly. "Before I put the barrier around it and it hadn't take control, I just felt a little high, I guess. But now that I have the barrier around it, even if that was my magic acting instinctively, I feel tired because I'm constantly trying to keep the barrier up and I also feel really full." She brought her hand up to her solar plexus. "It's almost like I've eaten a lot of food and I'm always a little queasy."

Cassie eyed her once more before leaning against the counter. "What about when it was free and in control?"

"It's still a little hazy, but I remember feeling as if I was sitting in front of a mirror that was playing everything that was happening. It was as if it was a movie and not something really happening." Chloe sighed, turning around completely and leaning back against the sink, eyeing Cassie. "When stuff really started going down, when people were almost dying around me, I was banging against that mirror so hard… but I was scared that if I broke it, I'd lose any way out of that room."

Cassie cleared her throat, bringing her hand to her neck as she sighed. "I understand the feeling of being lost in your own dark magic – it must have been even worse being lost in someone else's."

Chloe eyed her before nodding. "Sorry for, you know, trying to kill you."

"Twice," Cassie reminded.

Chloe flinched. "Right."

"To be fair though, you weren't the one trying to kill me, it was Francis Balcoin's essence in you." Cassie licked her lips. "He seems to hate Diana and me because we killed John."

This was the first time someone had actually come out and said that the girls had killed John and Chloe really didn't know what to feel about it. Sure, John seemed to have been somewhat of a bastard, but he'd still been good to her and she wished that he hadn't been killed. If he were alive, he could help her so much more than Moira or Lex or anyone else ever could. A part of her would always resent Cassie and Diana for killing him, even while another understood why they had.

Cassie cleared her throat as she looked around the kitchen, clearly highly uncomfortable. "I think Diana should come back to Chance Harbor with us when we leave." She took in a deep breath. "I don't mean to be a bitch but right now, being around you is dangerous for her, and she's all the family I have left."

Anyone else would have pointed out that Chloe was family as well, but the girl knew that being someone's family was more than just something to do with their blood. There had to be a bond, a connection, a sisterhood. She and Cassie didn't have that and given the fact that Chloe had already tried to kill Cassie twice, she wouldn't be surprised if they never had a sisterly bond at all.

"I agree." Chloe could see the surprise on Cassie's face as the other blonde jerked her head in her direction. "I want her to go back with you guys. Things are going to get worse and worse until these Trials are over and even after then I'm going to have a battle to try and get out of this servitude to the Luthor Circle. Diana has no reason to be mixed up in any of this or to be in danger when it has nothing to do with her. It's why I haven't told Pete – he's one of our brothers. I don't want him caught up in a battle that's not his own."

Cassie eyed Chloe silently.

"To be honest, I'd avoid letting anyone in that room be involved if I could." Her gaze was on the arched doorway, hearing the faint arguing going on in the living room. "If there was a way that I could do this all on my own, I'd do it."

"I don't think you will be able to." Cassie pulled a blonde strand out of her face. "Those guys in your Circle are really faithful to you."

"I'm not a part of a Circle." Chloe wondered just how many more times she was going to have to explain that to others.

"Uhm, yeah, you are." Cassie raised an eyebrow before pushing away from the island and taking a couple of steps towards Chloe. "It mightn't be a bound Circle, but you're definitely a part of one and from the looks of it, you're the leader."

Chloe snickered, shaking her head. "I'm so not leader material so I doubt-"

"Yo." Greg stuck his head in before striding inside, hands deep in his leather jacket. "Your mother wants us to go to the Talon and get some books she thinks might be useful that she knows Nell used to have around." He raised an eyebrow. "Are we trusting her a hundred percent or are we just letting her think we do while we keep an eye on her and shoot at her first wrong twitch?"

Chloe couldn't keep the smile off of her lips. "Shooting is a little strong, don't you think?"

He just raised that eyebrow higher. "So are we trusting her? Do we get her those books or make up some excuse and research them on our own?"

Clark walked in, flanked by Faye and Melissa on either side, the farm boy eyeing a little suspiciously behind him into the living room before coming closer and lowering his voice. "I could always keep the books at my place for safekeeping, if you want. That way she could search the Talon as much as she wants but she wouldn't find them."

"What books are she looking for?" Chloe asked curiously.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Faye rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. "She said they were just some herbology books."

"That's Whitney's area of expertise," Chloe reminded them, not even sure what Melissa and Faye were doing here. "What did he say when she named the books?"

"Nothing." It was Melissa who answered this time, standing next to Clark and looking so tiny it was kinda adorable. "I don't even know if he heard, he was talking to Jason about something a little apart from everyone else."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, wondering what those two had to talk about. "Get him alone for a second, but make it discreet, we don't want to draw their attention to you guys. Use their arguing to your advantage and tell him what books she wants, get his input on it. He knows those books better than anyone so he'll know what's in them and whether we should let her see them."

Greg gave a little salute before turning to Clark. "You do the work. I'm going to be outside having a smoke. Let me know what we've decided." And with that he turned and sauntered out through the back door.

Faye raised an eyebrow. "I'm no messenger." And with that she sashayed out of the room after Greg.

Melissa sighed apologetically before giving Clark a little smile. "I'll go with you."

He blinked in surprise before giving her a sweet little smile. "Thanks."

With that, the two returned back to the living room, giving each other shy little smiles.

Chloe eyed them with a little smile before turning her gaze on Cassie and blinking at the smirk on the blonde's face. "What?"

"You don't see it." Cassie shook her head, completely amused for some reason. "How do you not see it?"

"See what?" Chloe felt lost.

"Diana is the leader of our Circle." Cassie changed the subject, pulling herself backwards so that she was sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen, eyeing Chloe. "We haven't been the same without her. She always takes control and knows what to do. We're like chickens running around without a head – and Faye thinks she has a chance of being in control. As if."

The older girl could see what the other was getting at. "I'm not going to try and keep Diana from your Circle."

Cassie eyed her before nodding, opening her mouth to say something when Diana entered the kitchen.

"Why are Clark and Melissa acting all sketchy with Whitney and where are Faye and Greg?" She made a face. "I don't trust those two alone."

Cassie swung her feet back and forth. "Apparently Chloe's mother wants some herbology books and they're deciding whether to let her see them or not. Faye and Greg are outside waiting for a decision to be made."

Diana turned to Chloe with narrowed eyes. "So we're still not sure she can be trusted?"

Cassie froze, eyes wide in horror as she just stared at Diana.

Chloe felt uncomfortable for some reason. "Don't worry about it."

Diana narrowed her eyes on Chloe for a second, those dark orbs going to Cassie questioningly before returning to her eldest sibling. "Is something the matter?"

"Nope, we're just talking." Chloe gave her a little smile. "Formally introducing ourselves now that I'm not trying to kill her."

Cassie just continued to look at Diana, expression disturbed.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Diana asked, eyeing Chloe with determination. "How can I be useful? I don't know much about herbology, that was more Nick's area, but I do have a couple of books on the topic amongst my stuff that Adam brought for me. If your mother mentions anything I could try looking them up in my family's – in the Meade's family books – if you want."

That disturbed expression grew even more on Cassie's face as she gawked quite openly at their brunette sister.

"Don't worry about it," Chloe echoed her previous words, giving her sister a little smile. "Why don't you and Cassie just go on back and just relax. Your Circle came a long way to see you, I know you guys must have a lot to talk about."

Diana gave Chloe a little look before nodding. "Right." She sent Cassie a little tremulous smile before motioning with her head towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Yeah..." Cassie slipped from the countertop and sent Chloe a little look before following after Diana, apparently highly disturbed and not sure what to think about something.

Clark and Melissa passed them, entering the kitchen once more, Whitney on their tails. The two in front motioned goodbye to Chloe as they exited through the back door, leaving Whitney in the kitchen with the blonde.

"So I was talking to Coach Teague while your parents argued with Luthor." Whitney moved to stand next to her, shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the sink as well as he stared ahead. "I think he might have the hots for you."

Chloe sent him a quick glance. "Excuse me?"

"Even without the enthrallment, I think he wants in your pants." Whitney tapped his fingers behind him against the sink's edge. "We could use that. Makes him a weak link in Luthor's Circle."

That was very... cold. "So you think my mother is right? Seduce my way through this all?"

"I never said you should actually go through with anything," he snorted, continuing to look ahead. "Just use his feelings to your advantage. Girls do that all the time."

"Gee, your view on my sex is not insulting at all."

He flashed her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, it's just, well, the odds are stacking more and more against us by the day. I figure his attraction to you is at least one thing we have in our favor."

Chloe sent him a sideways look. "Diana's going back to Chance Harbor with the others when they leave."

"I doubt that." Whitney snorted with dark amusement.

"It's where she belongs, Whit." Chloe rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "This isn't her battle, and I know she feels somewhat guilty, but she couldn't have known and this is not her fault."

"Chloe, she's your sister."

"So is Cassie, that doesn't mean anything." A sigh escaped her lips.

"You have to admit, Nell would have loved this if she were here." Whitney suddenly changed the subject completely with a little chuckle. "More and more Circles appearing in Smallville, action, adventure-"

"Good looking men."

"There's that." Whitney snickered. "When she finds out that all of this was happening and she wasn't around – that vein in her forehead's gonna finally pop."

Chloe chuckled at the thought, imagining it. "And to think the Thoreaux are being left out of this! All the wonders they could have done to save us all!"

Whitney chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't condone running away from home, but I think both Lana and Pete needed to get away from their guardians/parents for a while. They were both being suffocated in their own ways." He paused. "Maybe now they can figure out who they are and what they want for their future."

"Hopefully they want their future in Smallville because I miss Pete." Chloe sighed. "Plus, it'd be nice to talk to him face to face now that I know he's my brother."

Whitney sighed heavily. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

She was confused for a second. "Said what exactly?"

"The whole 'use his feelings against him' thing. It's not our way, is it?" Whitney made a face.

"Not really." Chloe worried her bottom lip. "Would make things easier if they were."

"We definitely should be more cruel and without principles," Whitney agreed with a grumble.

Chloe chuckled softly, feeling more serene now than she had since waking up from being trapped in her own body, the Hamsa on her palm warm and tingling.

Whitney cleared his throat as he continued to stare ahead. "So when are you going to start trying to push me away?"

She blinked in confusion yet didn't move from where she was, far too comfortable. "Huh?"

"You've pushed away Pete and Lana, you've always kept Greg and Clark at a little distance, you've been pushing your dad away since you know he's kept secrets from you. You'll never actually let your mother be close to you even if she's being sincere, you might have kissed those two but there's definitely no trust between you, Luthor or Teague, and you're pushing Diana away now." Whitney said it as he saw it, continuing to stare ahead of him, the hands at his sides on the counter tensed. "So I'm wondering when you're going to start trying to push me away too."

"I don't-" and yet Chloe couldn't finish that, gaze lowering as she realized that he was right. She did push people away, was afraid of letting people in, of giving them the chance – the ability – to hurt her.

Whitney didn't hammer his win home, just letting her dwell with his words.

Chloe sighed before wrapping her arms around his arm and hugging it as she continued to rest her head against his shoulder.

He cleared his throat. "Don't get any weird ideas."

She chuckled softly, staring ahead just like he was. "About you? Never."

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"I still can't believe we managed to get out of the country without even a passport," Pete whispered, gazing around him in utter fascination, feeling very much out of place considering the fact that he didn't know the language being spoken all around him.

"You've just got to know the right spells to use on the right people." Lana was obviously pleased with herself, eyes wide in glee as she wrapped herself around his arm as they walked down the street. "I've always wanted to come here, even before I knew that the Thoreaux came from France."

It was a good thing too, because if neither of them spoke French then they'd be in a pickle now, but Lana seemed to know enough for them to get around and do what they needed to do.

"I know we're here on unofficial business..." Lana nibbled on her bottom lip before turning her hazels on Pete. "But can we sightsee as well?"

He didn't see the difference having some fun would do. It wasn't as if they could go get what they wanted and leave immediately anyway. "Wanna start with the Eiffel Tower?"

"Yes!" Lana grinned before giving a little excited squeal and pressing up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

Pete felt a dark blush cover his skin as he cleared his suddenly dry throat. "Uh, um, yeah. Let's go!"

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"What was going on in there between the two of you?" Diana asked when she found herself alone with Cassie, gaze going to the kitchen where Chloe and Whitney were before returning her gaze back to Cassie. "She seemed weird, off. What did you say to her?"

"Nothing, we were just talking." Cassie felt defensive, folding her arms over her chest. "You're acting like I'm the bad guy here."

"That's not true." Diana narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, it is." Cassie motioned to the door before storming out, leave Diana no choice but to follow after, closing the front door behind them as they secluded themselves in the front lawn, voices low and hissed. "I'm not the one who nearly killed everyone the other day you know! If there's anyone whose motives you should be worried about it's hers! She nearly killed you!"

"That wasn't her fault!" Diana hissed right back. "She didn't try to kill me of her own free will!"

Cassie took a step back as if she'd been hit, looking away. "This is about what happened the day we killed John, isn't it?"

Diana looked away, licking her lips.

"This is about the fact that I tried killing you." Cassie took in a deep breath. "It was the only way that I could think of to activate your dark magic, Diana. I didn't really want you dead. I was just-"

"Activating the darkness in me that I would have preferred to be dead than to have." Diana hated the fact that she'd snapped that, because she really could understand Cassie's reasoning, she could, but that didn't mean she had to be okay with it. "I get that you needed me dark so we could stop John and save the others, I get that, Cassie. But you have to understand that I didn't know what was going on and all I knew was that you were going to kill me and I knew that you weren't going to stop."

"I couldn't," Cassie whispered. "If I hadn't been cold and proved to your dark magic that I'd kill you – it wouldn't have activated because you were keeping such a heavy lid on it!"

"I have nightmares of it," Diana finally admitted, letting out a long sigh. "Of you killing me."

Cassie went pale. "Diana..."

"Cassie, you're my friend, my sister and I love you." She tightened her hands into fists at her side, feeling bad for what she was about to say but knowing she needed to finally say it, they needed to finally confront what had happened. "But I don't trust you."

Cassie's green eyes widened and teared up as she took in a deep breath and nodded, licking her lips. "I understand – you – I deserve that for what I did. But Diana, you're my sister. I love you and I want you to be a part of my life. You're the only family I have left."

"But I'm not." Diana wondered why Cassie was having trouble seeing that. "We have a sister and three brothers." She gave a little tremulous smile at that. "We're not alone anymore. We have family, bloodkin." She took a step towards Cassie. "I want to meet our brothers, I want to understand myself better. I never wanted my Balcoin magic to be activated but it is now, for better or for worse, and I feel that I'll have a better chance at understanding it and hopefully controlling it here."

Cassie swallowed, lowering her gaze. "You're not coming back to Chance Harbor with us, are you?"

Diana sighed and finally reached out, hugging her sister and pulling her closer.

Cassie just held on tightly, silently.

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"You're always hungry," Chloe complained as she headed towards the pantry to get him one of the bags of chips she'd started buying since the Circle started hanging out at her house more and more.

"I'm a growing boy," Whitney defended, sitting on the island like Cassie had been earlier. "Plus, I'm a Quarterback and Coach Teague mightn't be a brutal taskmaster like Coach Arnold was, but don't think he's letting us slack up on what remains of the football field."

"Of course not," a new voice interrupted as Jason entered the kitchen. "My reputation's on the line you know."

Chloe nearly tripped in surprise, twirling around, bag of chips in her hands. "Chips?"

He eyed them before shaking his head, lips twitching. "I'll pass."

"They were mine anyway," Whitney reminded her, catching the bag when she threw it at him. "So Coach, you think we'll be ready for the game Friday?"

"I think so." Jason leaned against the counter. "You guys-"

Chloe went to close the pantry when a clawed hand appeared from out of nowhere and yanked her inside, slamming the door shut between them before everything went dark.

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Davis knew that this wasn't the moment to think about himself – they had a finger each from Oliver and Tess on cryopreserve to point out that there were more important things going on at the moment – but he just couldn't help feeling more and more that he was being left out. He could easily do what he had to do in Smallville where Lex and Jason were and yet Lex wanted him to stay where he was in Metropolis. It made him feel that something was going on and they didn't trust him. It annoyed him full-heartedly and he was more than a little resentful. Jason had only half-listened to his complaints when he'd been here the other day, his thoughts obviously on Lex and the Firstborn's little date.

Damn it, Davis wanted to be more in the loop.

He didn't even know what the Firstborn looked like!

All he knew was that her name was Chloe, that she was apparently blonde (due to Jason vaguely answering Davis' question about her by calling her a "tiny blonde firecracker") and that she was turning seventeen soon. That was all.

Why exactly was he being kept in the dark like this?

Davis' phone rang, the man lowering his gaze to the ID and frowning when he saw Marx's number.

What did he want?

Narrowing his eyes warily, Davis answered the call and brought it to his hear. "Davis Bloom."

"I know who this is," Marx grumbled into his ear. "I've got some news for you that you're going to find most interesting."

"About what?" He didn't trust Marx not to have found out that Jason was the one who'd caused the trouble at Crouch End and that this was some sort of trap.

"John Balcoin."

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"Did you feel that?" Diana whispered to Cassie, having felt a rush of power racing through from the house.

"What was that?" Cassie whispered back as they pulled away.

Sharing a look, the sisters turned and raced towards the house.

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"So how are things going here?" she wanted to know, throwing herself onto the couch next to Mikhail.

"Boring." He pouted, not even looking up from the laptop he was using to run his gambling operation. "The redhead fainted from pain and the blonde started talking. I think he thought she'd died and he was just so relieved to realize she was still alive that he just started talking so Trent would stop. Trent wasn't happy. He was having fun."

"I can imagine." She smirked, shaking her head. "He enjoys what he does way too much."

Mikhail shrugged, typing something into the keyboard. "So what about you? Was your mission successful?"

"Was it ever." She smirked.

Mikhail froze, gaze finally raising from the screen. "You've found the Firstborn?"

She smirked, turning her hand palm-up. With a shake of her charmed bracelet a holographic image rose from her palm of a pretty blonde showing her something on the map, hints of the Balcoin symbols on both hands peeking with her different moves as she held the map down with one hand and motioned with the other.

Mikhail slammed his laptop's lid down hard, eyes widening. "The Firstborn really _is_ a girl?"

She grinned brightly, quite pleased with herself. "They thought they were keeping her so well hidden, but the fact that they were there just made it obvious that the Firstborn was as well. And now we know who she is."

"You've got to let the others know, now." Mikhail motioned towards a large red door.

"I always end up doing all the work." And yet she was smirking as she rose from the couch and sauntered towards the door.

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"I can't feel any residual magic," Moira whispered, turning around in the pantry over and over again, sniffing, apparently her wolfy senses giving her some wicked powers.

Diana paced the floor opposite Gabe. It would have been amusing if it weren't so worrying.

"This must be Trial related." Lex leaned against the pantry's door, arms folded over his chest.

"I thought the Trials were a group effort?" Jason frowned from where he stood next to Whitney. "That's why Balcoin made the deal with our parents, because he needed a strong group to help him through his Trials."

"Not everything is group related," Gabe finally spoke up, although he didn't stop pacing. "John said that the Trials were never the same for each person, but that they all have a mixture of group and solo tests. He told me that the introductory test, the "Warm up", was a solo test."

"So we're assuming that she's doing her Warm Up?" Whitney made a face.

"That doesn't make any sense," Diana disagreed, shaking her head. "All of her other tests have taken place where she is. They've all been integrated with things that were happening to her already at that time."

"Well, I don't know much about this situation," Jake spoke from where he was standing with a thoughtful expression on his face. "But I do know about tests and initiations." He licked his lips. "I-I used to work for the Witch-Hunters."

Everyone not from his Circle turned to look at him in horror or disgust.

"The point I'm making is that there were a series of tests that had to be completed to become initiated into their ranks." Jake was obviously growing more and more uncomfortable. "Some we didn't know were tests until we ultimately failed or passed them, while others were explained to be tests from the very start. There were different scenarios."

"So it's still very plausible that whatever happened to her is Trial related then." Adam really didn't get this whole concept but he did know that he would help in any way that he could because if Chloe didn't pass she wouldn't survive it – and no one knew exactly who the Secondborn was. It could be Diana. It could mean that Diana would be the next to have to go through these life or death tests.

"That's still not comforting." Moira gave a little growl as she finally emerged from the pantry.

"At least she was the only one who was taken." When she noticed the looks she was receiving for that comment Cassie hurried to explain. "It means that it's a solo test, as in she can pass this without any other help. Plus, she's got the bonus of Francis Balcoin's magic in her. I'm sure everything's going to be fine."

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There was nothing but darkness everywhere.

Her heart raced in fear, not understanding what had happened or where she was, but Chloe knew that being terrified wouldn't help her. She took in a deep breath as she outstretched her hand, palms up. "Air around me, grant me light." The large orbs of light appeared and levitated over her palm before rising higher into the air and growing larger, brighter, revealing the fact that she seemed to be in some sort of throne room in a castle.

The place was dark and shadowed, the windows were blocked and the air stagnant, almost as if fresh air hadn't circulated through these halls in a very long time. There were cobweb covered statues and portraits around her, as well as weapons.

There was also a huge gothic looking throne right in front of her. The cobwebs and dust weren't able to fully hide the runes and other magical symbols engraved on the wood, or the rubies and other sorts of gems embedded within.

Chloe gulped, looking around her, trying to find a door and yet unable to see any. The walls were all smoothly flat, and while she couldn't make out exactly what it was, the room was not at all in the normal square or rectangle shape. There were symbols engraved on the floors and walls and ceilings everywhere and it was only then that Chloe realized she was standing on a large one – the Balcoin symbol.

Stumbling off of the symbol, Chloe brought a hand to her chest as her magics began to work inside of her, churning. She brought her hand from her chest to hold it in front of her, watching the way her symbols glowed in a throbbing way before sending a surge of power through her body and then into the ground through her feet, her magic connecting with the symbol, lighting it up. In fast succession the magic and light bled from the large Balcoin symbols to all of the others, lighting up the room and leaving her orb of light useless.

Chloe recalled it back into her palm and looked around her in awe.

Where was she?

"You must be wondering where you are."

Chloe twirled around to see that copy of herself with the snake eyes, the one Whitney called Scales. "Were you the one who brought me here?" She remembered the frightening hand that'd yanked her through.

"Of course not, I'm just here to welcome you to your first official test," Scales replied, eyeing the place critically. "You, my dear little reflection, are honored to find yourself in Francis Balcoin's throne room – or its dormant state at least. He was the only one who could enter or leave this place. It's only during the Firstborn Trials that we're able to pass through without invitation and that's only because of the presence of the Firstborn-the potential new Soul."

"Francis Balcoin had a throne room?" Chloe's eyes widened, wondering about the mention of her soul.

"He thought of himself as a king. Others did too I suppose." Scales pursed her lips as she ran her fingers over some symbols and then flicked at the dirt disapprovingly. "Your first test is an easy one, one to ease you into the others, warm you up." She returned her attention to Chloe. "Escape this room before the magical traps kill you." And with that she vanished.

Chloe looked around her and took in a deep breath, not seeing anything that looked even remotely like a trap – which brought her fear rearing its ugly head once more. "Right. Easy."

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TBC


	36. Warm Up (Part Two)

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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"Jesus, you can't be serious!" Greg's eyes widened, bringing his hand to his head as Whitney filled him in on what was going on.

Faye was somewhere in the backroom kitchen getting herself something to drink.

Melissa and Clark were doing an awkward flirtation thing where the two of them would speak, then look at each other and blush before looking away chuckling/giggling in embarrassment as Clark showed her around the Talon.

"I wish I wasn't." Whitney's voice sounded annoyed and worried, which was to be expected all things considering. "Some demonic looking hand just grabbed her into the pantry and closed the door and by the time we yanked the door open two seconds later, she was gone without a trace."

Clark motioned to the huge flat screen tv in the living area, reaching for the remote and turning it on.

Greg turned his back to them. "Is this Trial related?"

"We're not sure," Whitney growled. "I-"

"Greg..." Clark's voice trailed behind him.

"Not now, Kent." Greg shook his head. "So what's the-?"

"Greg!" Clark snapped.

"What do you-?!" Greg spun around in annoyance before his eyes widened in shock, seeing what the others had. "Everyone needs to come here. Now."

"What are you talking about?" Whitney asked. "What's going on?"

Faye entered the room, a can of Coca Cola in her hand as she moved to see what everyone was watching. "Oh great." She rolled her eyes. "Are we watching lame home movies?"

"Chloe's on the television," Greg whispered to Whitney before hanging up and walking towards the seat in the sitting area, eyes never leaving the large screen where Chloe could be seen in some sort of door-less, windowless room with a cobweb covered throne in the middle.

"What's going on?" Melissa asked as Clark collapsed onto the loveseat behind them.

"We were given free pass..." Clark looked down at the winged serpent tattoo. "Is this what this means?"

"Wait, you're saying this is actually happening right now?" Faye was suddenly interested once more, hurrying to get a better view. "So it's like reality television witch style?"

Greg didn't know what to say about that.

Melissa collapsed next to Clark on the love seat.

"And to think I thought this trip was gonna blow!" And with that, Faye threw herself down on the comfiest chair they had.

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So she'd gone all around the throne room running her hands on the smooth stone, making sure that there definitely wasn't some sort of hidden door and while she hadn't found any, she also hadn't found any traps so that was a little sunshine to her cloudy day. Chloe tried not to really think about the traps, despite keeping aware of any possibilities. Instead she tried to keep herself as calm as she could given the fact that Scales had said that these traps could and would kill her. She wished that the others knew where she was, what was happening and could help her, but none of that was possible and so she was left completely on her own. There was going to be no help. She was all on her own.

Taking in a deep breath, she told herself to keep calm and not use up the oxygen in the room faster than she had to, then Chloe began examining the floor bit by bit. There were symbols, hieroglyphics and mosaics everywhere, each fascinating and depicting a different magical culture. If she wasn't trapped and possibly about to die very painfully, she'd take the time to actually admire this place; everything about it calling to her on a different level.

Shaking her head, Chloe concentrated on the symbols, traversing the whole floor in what seemed like forever before finally reaching the other side of the room and finding nothing. She gazed up at the ceiling but other than the edges, the ceiling couldn't be seen, shrouded in darkness. It made her uneasy considering the place was very bright so that darkness shouldn't actually be there... but the girl just shrugged and took in another breath as she wondered exactly what she was supposed to do now given the fact that the walls and floor hadn't offered any sort of clue.

Tired, Chloe leaned against the wall – and then cried out as a symbol pushed inward.

She pushed away from the wall, stumbling away while turning to face it. Chloe's eyes widened as she saw that one of the symbols had sunken deep into the wall, leaving a dark hole in its shape behind. Something moved within the shadows, a grotesque hand reached out and then the other as two piercing green eyes stared out at her from the shadows.

Chloe's mouth parted as she screamed.

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"What the hell is that?" Diana whispered in horror. Everyone had only just made it to the Talon and crowded into the living room, watching the television in horror as a grotesque creature pulled itself out of the hole left by the sunken symbol. Its bones cracked loudly, realigning itself now that it wasn't stuck inside the wall anymore.

Moira's eyes widened. "No."

Gabe seemed just as horrified. "She's not ready for that."

Diana returned her terrified gaze to the television.

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Chloe backed away as the deformed looking creature, which seemed almost humanoid and yet plantlike as well, stood tall in front of her. Its eyes were endless black with only a small green dot for a pupil, its head large, its body elongated almost like an eel's, and those hands... those hands! It took once step towards her and then it was gone, Chloe's back hitting something slippery as those hands went around and held her prisoner as the spiked tubes it had for tongues latched onto her temples, driving its needle-like fangs into her head.

A scream erupted from her lips at the intense pain before suddenly everything was numb and cold, the blonde staring ahead of her as her world went black.

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"NO!" Gabe snarled, Faye utterly impressed by the mortal's viciousness.

Moira collapsed down onto the ottoman, eyes wide and terrified on the screen.

"What is that thing?" Diana's voice was cracking with fear as she looked between them. "What is it doing to her?"

Faye's gaze went to Cassie who was eyeing Diana more than the screen, worrying her bottom lip.

"That's a Boogonn Mortalis." Lex licked his lips, face emotionless as he stared at Chloe's blank eyes. "Better known as a Boogey Man."

"You're telling me the Boogey Man is real?" Adam whispered, eyes wide.

"Not in the way you might think of him, but the creature that started the myth definitely exists." Jason clenched his fists. "They were thought to have been completely extinct. They were hunted down fiercely around the 18th century due to the amount of casualties suffered."

"Makes sense then that Daddy Balcoin would keep one around as a pet," Faye mumbled.

"What's it doing to her?" Melissa asked softly.

Clark's eyes were wide and teary. "It's killing her."

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She could understand why he'd never gone easy on her, all things considered, but sometimes she just wanted to tell her father to just chill. Yes, they were being hunted all the time because they were Balcoins. Yes, two of her siblings had already been found and killed, but she'd been living safe and sound hidden for years and she didn't see how it wouldn't continue that way.

"You have to understand that he's just trying to do what's best for you." Whitney rolled his eyes from where he was standing by the window. He always thought she was a whiny baby and never took her side on any argument if he didn't have to.

"But he's... overwhelming." Diana was, as always, on her side, even if that meant she clashed constantly in opinion with Whitney, who she usually agreed with. She sat upon Clark's lap, playing with his hair. "We can't do anything, Whitney. We're trapped in his fear. He even acts as if this Circle is his old one and not ours."

"You need to stand up to him," Melissa pointed out from where she was playing solitaire with Greg. "I get that he's worried about you guys after all that's happened, but still, he's almost creepily so."

"He's a dad. Every dad is creepily worried about his daughters," Clark pointed out, pressing a kiss to Diana's shoulder, obviously referencing the fact that it'd taken a lot of convincing to get John to accept their relationship.

"I don't know, I think you must be shady looking." Greg snickered, playing a card. "Melissa's dad loves me."

Melissa rolled her eyes although she was smiling.

Chloe rolled her eyes, about to open her mouth and remind Greg of a certain chat Melissa's dad had given him concerning chainsaws and testicles, when she saw a symbol flashing against the wall next to Whitney. The girl narrowed her eyes as it disappeared in a blink of an eye.

What – what had that been?

It's almost looked like the drawing of an eye.

Her head – her temples – throbbed slightly in pain.

Shaking her head, she took in a deep breath. Chloe gave Diana a little smile when her younger sister looked at her worriedly.

"Getting back to serious conversations... What are we planning on doing about our little problem?" Whitney wanted to know, closing the window as he returned to where they were and sat down next to Chloe before pulling the girl onto his lap, resting his arms around her hips as he gazed at the others. "How are we getting rid of the Luthor Circle?"

"Why can't we just try this peace they're offering?" Melissa wanted to know with a pout.

"It couldn't hurt..." Diana shrugged before twitching.

"I'm with her," Clark piped up.

"She's your girlfriend, of course you're with her." Greg rolled his eyes before turning to Whitney. "You know we can't trust them."

Whitney slowly nodded. "They've proven untrustworthy in the past. I say, 'fool me twice, shame on me'."

"Chloe, you've got to be strong," Diana declared, looking much graver than she had seconds ago. "You can do this."

The blonde gave her sister a little smile. "Thanks."

Diana didn't smile back, if anything she looked more worried. "Chloe, you've _got_ to be stronger than this."

That symbol, the one from before, flashed crazily between Chloe and her sister.

"I will." Chloe's head was hurting more. She turned her gaze from her sister (who was just acting very weird) to Whitney. "I don't think that-"

"Chloe!" Diana's voice was urgent and nearly crying, bringing the blonde's attention back to her. "Damn it! Be _stronger_ than this!"

Everywhere around her, the symbols were flashing and the pain in her temples grew as everything around her began to almost shimmer... flicker... fade.

For one second – only one – she was in a dusty throne room.

But that second was all she'd needed.

This wasn't real.

None of this was.

There – there'd been a creature and then – the pain! In her head! It was-!

"NO!"

Eyes widening in horror, Chloe reached for her temples and yanked those needles out before turning and kicking the creature away. The illusion dropped away, shattering like glass all around her until she was in the throne room once more, the creature crying on the floor, the two things it'd imbedded into her head broken on the ground. It whimpered and cried before racing back to the hole and crawled back inside, its bones cracking and rearranging as it crawled deep inside before it was gone and slowly the symbol returned.

Chloe collapsed to her knees on the ground, breathing in and out, still slightly disoriented, bringing her hands to her temples and not surprised when they came back with blood.

She gasped, holding her palm as it burned, and when she was finally able to unclench it, she gazed down in surprise to see that, above the Hamsa, the point that reached upwards now pointed towards the Eye of Ra. Now that it wasn't blinking madly she could recognize it as the symbol that'd kept flashing in her fantasy, the one that'd begun to alert her to the fact that what she was seeing wasn't real.

The girl stared at the new addition to her heptagon star in confusion, not exactly sure what was going on.

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Diana stared down at her palm, where the winged snake design had disappeared, instead replaced by an intricate and beautiful Eye of Ra. "What-?"

Moira rose and grabbed the younger girl's hand, eyes wide in shock. "You're not the other Hand." Her blues went to Diana's face in shock. "You're the Eye."

"What are you talking about?" Diana looked up at her in confusion. "What does this mean?"

Moira stared at her before breaking out into hysterics, laughter bubbling out of her uncontrollably before she collapsed in her seat once more. "You saved her."

"What?" Diana, holding her hand, came closer. "What do you mean?"

"She heard you." Moira covered her face with her hand, body still shaking with her laughter of relief. "In whatever delusion the Boogonn put her in while it drained her life out of her, she heard you. She heard what you were screaming to the television."

Diana's eyes widened.

"I thought he sent you to her because you were her other Hand, but I was wrong, you're the Eye." Moira continued to laugh softly. "The Eye of Ra is a powerful symbol of protection which deals with safety, wisdom and prosperity... But it's also a powerful destructive force linked with the fierce heat of the sun, which is described many times as the 'Daughter of Ra'." She shook her head. "I should have suspected – but I never once – " She took in a deep breath. "Where Whitney is a warrior champion, you're an advisor."

"So, Whitney is Lancelot and Diana is Merlin to Chloe's Arthur?" Clark blinked.

"You – you could definitely put it that way, yes." Gabe nodded, just as dumbfounded as his wife.

"Wait." Adam frowned, not sure what to make of all of this as he eyed everyone. "If Diana isn't this other Hand – then who is?"

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Her legs were shaky but Chloe forced herself to stand, rubbing her itching palm against her hip as she slowly made her way towards the throne itself. The walls and floors were useless – and she'd already only barely made it through one of the traps, so she was taking her chance with the throne itself. She'd avoided it until then because the girl figured that it was the obvious thing to check so would most probably have a greater risk of being booby trapped than anything else in this room, but now that she knew even the walls weren't safe, she decided there really wasn't anything to lose.

Brushing off the cobwebs revealed more and more of the throne to her. It was beautiful and called to her in a way she really couldn't explain... and then she realized it wasn't exactly just calling to her but to Francis Balcoin's magic trapped deep inside of her. The blonde had to stop what she was doing and press her hand against her solar plexus, almost able to feel the orb trapping the magic inside of her, throbbing as she did so. She gulped down the nausea that built in her throat, forcing her magic to add another layer on that orb and keep the magic trapped within. There was no way that she was going to let it out. Not after what had happened last time. If Whitney hadn't done what he had – she shuddered to think what could have happened.

There didn't seem to be any secret levers anywhere and none of the symbols pushed in, neither did any of the gems. She got desperate and dropped to the floor, sliding as much under the throne as possible, summing her orb of light once more to cast away the shadows underneath.

There was an engraving in a near impossible to reach place.

Chloe's eyes widened. Maybe this was it! Maybe this was the way out!

She didn't know the language, but at least it was based on the alphabet and not hieroglyphic at least. The blonde frowned as she tried sounding out the words. "_Martya xwar_."

The letters glowed gold... and then something grabbed Chloe's ankle and yanked her out from under the throne, the blonde screaming as she came face to face with a creature that had the body of a lion, the tail of a dragon, and the head of a man with blue eyes, his mouth having three rows of sharp teeth like a shark.

"A Manticore." Chloe could feel her whole body going numb with terror. "I summoned a Manticore."

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It took all of Jason's strength to remain the way he was and not react to this new development as the large, monstrous creature stood in front of Chloe, its body language betraying his aggression, its tail flicking viciously. His gaze went to where Gabe had sat down next to Moira, both holding hands as they watched the screen in utter horror.

The others weren't doing much better either.

Clark was near an obvious nervous breakdown, unable to look away from the television, Melissa rubbing his back softly, she too unable to look away.

Greg kept flipping his lighter open and closed over and over again in a nervous tick.

Diana was shaking her foot in utter nerves, biting her thumbnail as she watched.

Adam sat next to her, his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, although he looked just as nervous as she did.

Whitney sat on Diana's other side, leaning forwards towards the television, elbows resting on his knees and hands clenched tightly.

Cassie hugged her pillow tighter to her chest.

Jake looked a mixture of fascinated and horrified. "I can't believe they really exist! Isaac said they'd gone extinct hundreds of years ago!"

"Obviously, Daddy Balcoin was a collector of Rare and Extinct Uglies." Faye continued sipping on her drink, eyes wide and utterly entranced with what was going on.

Lex... Lex just eyed everything with a calmness and cool that annoyed and frustrated Jason to no end.

This was a _Manticore_.

Chloe was most probably going to die and they'd just have to watch it and that was it!

Couldn't Lex at least act like he cared?

Clenching his fists, Jason forced his hazels back to the screen.

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TBC


	37. Warm Up (Part Three)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"You dare summon me, you foolish child?" His voice was like a trumpet as he spoke, taking a menacing step towards her.

Chloe gulped, taking a step backwards. "I didn't mean to?"

"You insult me on top of everything?" he snarled, flicking his tail towards her, spikes flying off of it and zooming towards her.

Chloe rose her arms crossed up in front of her instinctively in a protective move, the spikes hitting a barrier and falling down to the ground, leaking what looked like some sort of liquid... most probably poisonous. She gulped, realizing that if impalement hadn't killed her, the poison would have. Or maybe it wasn't a poison but a paralyzing agent so she couldn't move or protect herself while it ate her alive. She knew about these creatures, had glimpsed them in Whitney's bestiary, and knew that Manticores devoured their prey whole leaving no clothes, bones or possessions behind.

The Mantiore growled as it circled her, alternating between flinging poisoned spikes to actually slamming the dragon's tail into the barrier around her. It was searching for a weak spot, attacking at different intervals at different spots and in different frequencies or potency. Chloe kept her eyes closed, her hands up, and concentrated on keeping the barrier strong.

Suddenly the orb inside of her throbbed viciously and Chloe grunted, doubling over, losing her grip on the barrier as the Manticore slammed its tail into it, his hard flesh slamming into her midsection and sending her flying into the throne. She cried out, pain filling her as she tried catching her breath, her back inflamed from the blow and her hand pressing hard against her solar plexus, against what almost seemed like a slight bulge, the orb having grown inside of her. Green eyes opened in time to see that tail flicking in her direction and she only just managed to roll away, those poisoned spikes hitting the throne where she'd been moments ago.

Rolling to her side, Chloe pushed to her feet and tried reassembling the barrier but every time she did the orb within her grew larger, more painful.

The Manticore charged, mouth wide, teeth shining with saliva.

Chloe pulled herself around the throne and bent over still holding onto that slight bulge, her skin throbbing visibly now.

As the Manticore turned to face her, Chloe reached behind her and the spikes that were littering the ground rose. With a swift movement forwards from her hand, she sent them flying towards the Manticore, the spikes piercing skin, a roar of pain and anger echoing through the throne room.

"My own poison does nought to my system!" The creature with the human face snarled, reaching out and yanking one of the spikes out of it with its teeth, spitting it out.

Chloe cried out as the bulge pressed hard against her ribs.

Even if she managed to somehow defeat the Manticore she was going to die like that guy in Alien!

The pain forced her to her knees, clutching at the bulge, her fingernails digging deep into her skin as she screamed. Her hand pressed hard against the throbbing bulge in her solar plexus, trying to push it back inside and yet with each bit of magic she used it seemed to get bigger and bigger, threatening to break her ribs on its way out of her body. Strengthening the magic around the orb only made it worse and it was getting harder to breathe.

A spike imbedded itself into her thigh.

Chloe screamed, yanking it out of her and throwing it away, already feeling whoozy as the poison made its way through her system.

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"No! Don't you friggin go to sleep!" Whitney snapped as he stood, going to the television in fury as Chloe's body collapsed next to the throne as the Manticore approached, readying for its kill. "Fight it, Sullivan! Fight it!" He slammed his tattooed hand into the wall next to the television. "FIGHT IT!"

Cassie watched Diana stare at the television with tear-filled eyes, Adam tightening his grip on Diana's shoulder. It still hurt sometimes, to see him so engrossed in other girls. She knew that their love had been a curse, and that they'd had to kill their love for each other, but if she'd known that her dark magic would be strong enough to overpower the potion and leave her still loving him while he was free to love others – she didn't know if she would have put herself through this sort of torture willingly.

Jake continued to lean forwards, hand hiding the bottom half of his face, his eyes wide in horror as the Manticore reached Chloe, standing over her.

Faye had forgotten her drink, eyes wide, all fascination turned to horror as the Manticore opened its mouth wide and began swallowing the girl whole, like an anaconda might its victim.

By the time it was finished, there was nothing left of Chloe in that room, nothing, just like the legends.

Diana let out a heart-wrenching cry and turned to Adam, hiding her face in his shirt as he held her tightly, whispering to her as she cried inconsolably against him.

Clark stared at the television in horror, silent tears making their way down his face.

Greg kept shaking his head, as if refusing to believe it, before he finally snapped. "That's bullshit! It's a lie! This is all a lie!"

Tears falling down her face, Melissa awkwardly hugged/cradled Clark much like Adam was doing to Diana, as the giant farm boy began to sob.

"It's a lie!" Greg was still on about that, pacing back and forth, running shaky hands through his hair. "They just want us to believe – She's alive!"

Moira and Gabe were silent, just staring numbly at the screen.

Cassie chanced a glance at the two older witches in the corner, surprised at the stark difference in their faces.

Lex was disappointed; it was obvious in every feature.

Jason was distraught, his face passive and yet his eyes...

And yet it was Whitney who drew Cassie's attention the most, her greens landing on the blonde who remained where he'd been moments ago, his eyes closed tightly, nearly angrily.

Whitney clenched his fist against the wall, the hand shaking. "_Fight it_."

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Of all the ways she'd expected to die, this was not one of them.

She was completely paralyzed, unable to do anything as the creature swallowed her whole, scraping her with its rows of sharp teeth on the way down. Her blood filled him and she was unable to really breathe, its digestive juices flowing around her. She couldn't move, couldn't even scream as that bulge in her stomach grew even more, nearly cracking a rib as it did so. The blonde didn't even have the will to keep trying to stop it anymore. What was the purpose when she was going to be digested alive anyway?

With the next throb of pain, Chloe let go of that orb she'd created inside of herself to contain Francis Balcoin's dark magic and keep it separate from her own. Her whole stomach cramped horribly as a coil seemed to snap within her and the magic that'd been fighting the barrier exploded outwards with such a force that...

...The next thing she knew, she lay in a pool of blood and chunks of Manticore on the ground next to the throne.

Chloe coughed, spitting out the chunks in her mouth as she could breathe once more. The blood of the Manticore covered her, seeping into her body through the many cuts she'd received from its teeth and slowly she could feel her leg once more... and then her other.

Apparently the cure to a Manticore's venom was its blood because within five minutes she was slowly pushing up to her feet. Her legs weren't ready to support her though and she quickly fell to her knees, wincing at the pain and yet trying once more, grabbing hold of the throne to help her up. She managed to somehow pull herself up enough to collapse onto the throne, exhausted and in pain. Bits of Manticore were stuck in her hair and she was never going to get the blood out of her clothes. She wiped at the blood on her face before just giving up and resting on the throne.

That was when straps wrapped around her legs and hands, fastening her to the throne... and the room began to grow smaller.

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"Nonononononononononono!" Gabe Sullivan cried as he rapidly stood, only having just rejoiced with Moira over the explosive survival of their daughter.

Chloe, already horribly tired from all she'd gone through, was struggling in vain against the binds holding her to the chair as the room continued to fold in on itself, threatening to crush her in a matter of minutes.

"How is this a solo test?" Faye wanted to know, surprisingly enough quite pissed off.

The room continued to close in on the struggling blonde.

Greg collapsed on the armrest of Cassie's chair, causing her to jump slightly at the unexpected movement.

On the screen, with crushing imminent, the look-alike entity referred to as Scales appeared in the throne room.

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"Enjoying the show?" Chloe couldn't help but be snappy as she tried struggling with the magical binds. No matter what spell she tried on them, they couldn't loosen or catch on fire or anything.

Scales eyed her curiously. "You blew up the Manticore."

"Don't tell me I'm going to get in trouble for that." Not that she really cared at the moment.

"We've only had a few people actually summon the Manticore and none of them have actually... exploded it." Scales shook her head, unable to believe what she was saying. "You have bits of it in your hair."

"I know." That was yet one of the many things she was choosing not to think about at the moment, especially when her mirror image was oh so pristine clean. "Look, not to be snappy, but I'm kinda in the middle of something, so-"

"You're kinda screwed," Scales interrupted her, lips pursed. "Those are magic resistant straps. Francis Balcoin had a thing about other people sitting on his throne. He was against it."

"You don't say," she declared with mock surprise.

"You realize you're not going to get out of this one, right?" Scales made a face.

"The thought has crossed my mind." Chloe stopped struggling, just glaring at her counterpart.

"Well, I don't want you to die, and from what I hear, there's a loophole. You don't have to die here." Scales seemed quite proud of herself.

Chloe narrowed her eyes even as the walls continued to close in closer and closer to the throne. "And what's this loophole?"

"Once the Balcoin Firstborn is in the Trials, there is one time he or she can use a special pass in case a Trial is too hard for them." Scales eyed around them before coming closer. "Your "phone a friend" option in a way of speech." When Chloe only kept her eyes narrowed at that, Scales continued. "The only way you can bypass this death is by switching with someone of your own blood."

Chloe felt as if she'd been kicked. "You've got to be joking."

"Nope. It's one of the reasons why this was such a feared time, not only for the Firstborn." Scales took a couple of steps towards the throne as the walls grew uncomfortably close. "You switch places with one of them and they'll die while you can go on. And don't worry, it's not one of those cases where if you sacrifice someone else for yourself, you lose. This is a Balcoin test. You'll get extra points for doing this."

"No." Chloe shook her head. "I'm not going to-"

"No one's going to know you did it." The smile slipped from Scales' face as she had to come closer to the throne. "You just say the word and one of them will be here and you'll be safe. No one will ever know what happened here."

"No," Chloe replied with more force.

"You like Diana and Pete, so forget about them, they'll be safe." Scales looked around her, looking a little nervous as she gulped. "But what about Cassie? She's not exactly on the road to bosom buddies right? She doesn't think of you as a sister and never will. Just say her name and I'll switch you."

"No." Chloe looked away from Scales, watching as the walls closed in at the bottom step, which folded in under it.

"Fine! You've seen her face. Your conscience couldn't take it!" Scales pressed against the throne as she looked around her, worried. "You have two faceless brothers. Pick one of them! It'll-!"

"I said no!" Chloe screamed, clenching her fists tightly.

"Don't be so stupid!" Scales screamed right back at her as the steps continued to fold under, the walls forming a small square around the throne as they began to truly close in around them. "Say a name! Say one! Just-!"

"_No_." The voice was a whisper but resolute as she hung her head. "No."

"You're a Balcoin! It's their way!"

"It's not _my _way!" Chloe snapped despite the tears of fear that were slipping down her cheeks. "I might have dark magic inside of me but that doesn't make me evil. It just means I have to try a little more than others. And I am not going to sacrifice someone else for me, even if I've never met them before. The Balcoins might have sacrificed their family or anyone else without a second thought, but they were hunted down to near extinction for reasons just like that one! If I'm going to pass these Trials then I'm going to do it my way or no way at all!"

"Do you think your father gave up like this when he became First and was granted access to this room?" Scales looked all around her in terror before somehow climbing up on top of the throne's backrest, straddling it, gulping and closing her eyes tightly as the walls reached the throne. "You're the Balcoin Firstborn! The first Soul even _remotely_ capable of competing with Francis Balcoin! You have his _magic_ in you for crying out loud! Why do you think it's always been in that crystal, used but never consumed? It's a magic so strong it was feared more than it was coveted!" The wall began to press up against the edges of the throne. Scales whimpered, shaking slightly. "_We're not supposed to die like this_."

Suddenly it struck Chloe like lightening and she looked up, eyes widening.

How could she have been so foolish?

She was the Firstborn – they'd only been allowed inside because of her!

And she had Francis Balcoin's magic inside of her – somewhere!

Francis Balcoin – the one who'd created this place!

Who commanded it!

The throne trembled under the force of the four walls, readying to break.

"Stop." Chloe tried, but nothing happened, the blonde licking her lips as she tightened her grip on the handrests she was tied against. She didn't know exactly where Francis Balcoin's dark magic was, now that the orb was gone, but she narrowed her eyes and concentrated. "Stop." Nothing, but she just closed her eyes and calmed her mind, her racing heart. "**STOP**."

The walls stopped trying to crush them and the throne.

Scales, crouched over and eyes closed... slowly peeked open one serpent eye and looked around her in utter disbelief.

Chloe stared at her arms, feeling the magic inside her – the Balcoin magic – acting very oddly. It was almost hard to detect from her Hibbins magic. "**Release me**."

The straps disappeared in light.

Green orbs went to the walls. "**Return to where you were**."

Immediately, the walls slid back smoothly to their original places, leaving the girl sitting on the throne. "**I want to leave now**."

The Balcoin symbol on the floor flashed green before detaching slightly from the floor, hovering in stepping distance from it.

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked up at the darkness above.

That had always been the way out.

Scales slipped down off the throne, smiling in shocked pleasure as she looked around her. "You're commanding the room."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Chloe asked curiously as she pushed off of the throne, standing.

"You were supposed to have either taken the switch or found the trap door you were brought in through that's only accessible to other forces during the Trials," Scales replied with laughter, running her hand over her hair, her forked tongue slipped out from between her lips as she pointed to the back of the throne. "But you're commanding the room. How-?" Scales' serpent eyes went to Chloe before she laughed and transformed, becoming a winged snake and taking off upwards into the darkness and disappearing.

Chloe watched the serpent go before gulping as she limped her way towards the rise, stepping onto it and holding her hands out to keep balance as it lifted off into the air, taking her up out of the room and into the darkness above.

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There was silence in the room as the television suddenly went black before a football game appeared in mid game and was completely ignored.

Suddenly a cheer broke out amongst everyone, Gabe and Moira hugging each other and laughing, both declaring they'd known she would pass the test despite everything.

Cassie smiled slightly as she watched them, envious of Chloe for having two parents, even if one really wasn't her biological father. It was obvious that Gabe adored Chloe and was dedicated to her.

It made Cassie feel even lonelier than she already did.

Diana hugged Adam tightly and laughed and cried as she held on tighter, Adam smiling tenderly as he held her close.

Melissa and Clark grinned at each other brightly before Clark pulled her off of the sofa and began a victory dance with the laughing yet blushing girl.

Whitney leaned on the wall by the television, arms folded over his chest, a smile curving the side of his lips.

Jake and Faye rolled their eyes and yet were smiling brightly anyway.

Jason, like Whitney, was merely smiling, relief visible in his hazels.

Lex...

Cassie gulped.

Lex was smiling in dark satisfaction.

"I know," Greg whispered to her.

She turned to look up at him, finding him staring warily at Lex who was still smiling darkly at the television.

Greg narrowed his gaze on Lex before lowering his dark orbs to Cassie silently.

Worrying her bottom lip, Cassie returned his uneasy stare before returning her greens to Lex, a surprising, cold shiver of dread racing down her spine.

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Chloe stepped out of the darkness... into the Balcoin Caves.

She laughed softly, shaking her head, somehow not surprised at this new development.

Stepping out into the main chamber, Chloe froze when the huge Balcoin symbol on the cave wall lit up and then shone down on her, bathing her in an unnatural light, the color of which she hadn't ever seen before. The magic within her reacted to this immediately, explosions happening within her so brightly she could see them through her skin. One particularly bad one had her holding her solar plexus once more, the blonde crying out as she was driven to her knees in the chamber as behind her eyes the explosions continued everywhere.

Digging her fingers into the ground, Chloe screamed as she arched her back upwards much like a cat might, her back on fire.

She could feel the pupils of her eyes contracting and dilating like crazy behind her closed eyelids while her heart raced and her pulse went crazy. The hairs on her body stood on end and a strong draft seemed to be racing through the different veins leading into this chamber, whipping at her clothes and her hair.

But while all of this was most distracting, what Chloe felt the most was the magic inside of her bubbling, boiling, exploding only to repeat once more.

Her throat was killing her from her non-ending screaming.

_'Kill them...'_

_'Kill the bitches...'_

_'Kill them all!'_

Chloe forced one hand from the ground and the other from her chest to grab at her head – at the words whispering all around her in male guise. "No."

_'We've been waiting for you...'_

_'Kill those who killed us...'_

_'Avenge our deaths!'_

She shook her head, images passed before her eyes almost too rapidly to see of a group of people killing a man who could only be Francis Balcoin. "No!"

_'The Luthors, the Capets, the Thoreaux... everyone… kill them all!'_

Chloe fought, shaking her head.

_'Free yourself... free us... kill... kill... KILL!'_

"SHUT UP!" Chloe screamed, holding her head.

_'You will listen and-!'_

"NO!" Chloe forced herself up to her knees, still clutching her head as she shook it. "I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOU!" She breathed in and out, trying to calm herself once more, to force her mind to be still, quiet. "You will never force me to do anything again. Ever." The blonde could feel the hold slipping. "Francis Balcoin is dead. I don't care if some of his essence is trapped in his magic. It's mine now. I'm not going to let it control me and if you can't get that I'm your new master then I'll find some other prison for you and hide you away so no one can be corrupted by you. Do you understand?"

Silence reigned.

The explosions continued within her, but they were slowing and somehow Chloe knew what was happening.

Her magic had appropriated the foreign magic within her, breaking it up enough so that it was absorbed by her own and made its own.

She doubted that she'd actually be able to pour it out of her into another crystal skull like she'd threatened to do.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe pushed to her feet and walked out of the Balcoin Caves, no longer limping.

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TBC


	38. Answers & More Questions

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle (also don't own the show Merlin, which is mentioned briefly here)

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Everyone's eyes were on her.

It was late and everyone who wasn't staying over at the house had gone home and Chloe could feel everyone staring at her. The fact that apparently everyone had seen what had happened to her in the throne room threw her for a loop, especially since Scales had told her the complete opposite – that if she decided to exchange places with another Balcoin, no one would know what she'd done. They would have, and Chloe couldn't help the relief in her veins that she hadn't given into Scales' tempting offer. She'd never be able to look any of them in the face ever again if she'd done the trade and they'd see it in action.

After she'd gotten back, she'd been crowded by everyone and she'd found out that Diana's palm had the matching (yet larger) Eye of Ra on it, and had heard someone mention that it meant Diana was her Eye. Apparently that was why she could get through to Chloe in certain circumstances when others couldn't, like when Chloe (under Francis Balcoin's influence) had tried killing Diana and yet had stopped – and during the test with the, uh, Boogey Man.

It was probably also why they'd developed such a close relationship so quickly.

Her gaze kept to her palm, rubbing the Hamsa and Eye of Ra designs that now graced her heptagon star.

"So, since no one else seems like they want to ask this question..." Faye sat up straighter. "I think I speak for everyone when I ask what the heck are these Hands and Eyes and stuff? Because we don't have anything like that in our Circle." She paused for a second, almost as if second guessing herself, narrowing her eyes slightly as she leaned closer to Jake. "Do we?"

"Not that I know of." Jake wasn't even looking at her, instead eyeing Chloe as his orbs went to her hand and then to her face. "When I was working for the Witch-Hunters, I never heard about anything like that either."

"So what exactly does it all mean?" Melissa reached over and grabbed Diana's hand, eyeing the symbol on it. "Is it Trial related?"

"No." Gabe stood and went to sit on the ottoman at Chloe's feet, reaching his hand out and brushing some blonde hair from her face. "It's Matriarch related."

Chloe looked up at him, feeling so numb and confused and scared ever since the episode in the Balcoin Caves – something she had yet to tell anyone of.

"John, despite being the Patriarch of the Balcoin lineage, didn't have his Hands or Eye – to be accurate, it's actually Third Eye – or something like that. It was because he couldn't bring himself to trust anyone who wasn't blood. There was no way he could bond with someone in the way that's needed for the assignations to be granted. He always planned on his children taking those positions. It is only members the Circle of the Matriarch or Patriarch of the Balcoin family who have those designations." Gabe cleared his throat. "Cassie would have been one of his Hands, he said she had the potential to be a vicious, cunning soldier, perfect for a Hand. He said – there was a son he mentioned once – said he was sure he'd be the other Hand."

"Did he ever mention a name?" Diana asked softly, rubbing her Eye of Ra softly.

Gabe shook his head. "John was keeping his plans close to his chest." His smile was sad. "Even though he knew I'd die for him, he didn't trust me with them."

Chloe could see the pain in her father's face and it hurt her because she realized she was acting just like John. Gabe had given up his own life for the both of them, and neither of them had treated him with the respect or trust he deserved. She reached up and cupped his cheek, giving him a teary smile as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

He gave a watery smile, pressing his hand to hers and moving to press a kiss to her palm.

Chloe used her free hand to wipe at a rebellious tear that had escaped her eyes and raced down the side of her face.

"So, okay, we get it. They're positions that only certain Matriarchs or Patriarchs of the Balcoin family get due to some sort of mystical bond with the head of the family – or in this case Chloe." Cassie hugged a pillow to her chest as she eyed them all carefully. "Moira, you said something about warriors and advisors?"

"Yes..." Moira paused for a moment, eyeing Gabe and Chloe before clearing her throat and nodding, turning towards Cassie. "As I said, for the Balcoins everything is strength and power. It's about reigning; ruling. Everyone here saw that Francis Balcoin even had his own throne, and if you're ever able to read about the Balcoins, especially during his reign, you'll see how they were considered Magical Aristocracy."

Gabe cleared his throat and went to sit next to his daughter, an arm around her shoulder. "As were the other members of the six original Witch Families."

"Six original Witch Families?" Adam narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard about that."

"Lex mentioned it to me." Chloe leaned against her father, drawing some comfort from him for the first time since she'd found out the truth about him. "He said that the Balcoins and Luthors were two of the Six originals – and that's why we think we can't use our powers against each other."

Moira appeared quite displeased with this. "It could be."

"Who are the other four?" Diana asked a very good question, she always did.

"Many of their names have changed, like Balcoins to Blackwell, to protect their identities," Gabe admitted. "The Luthors were the only ones who were arrogant enough to keep their surnames." He raised an eyebrow. "The other four were Tentagels, the Sigans, the le Fays and Wyllts."

"Le Fay..." Melissa's eyes widened. "As in Morgan le Fay? From the Arthurian legends?"

Moira nodded. "She was one of the greatest witches of the le Fay bloodline."

"Oh wow." Faye blinked, leaning back. "I never read any of the old history books but Melissa and I watch Merlin faithfully – and Morgana is awesome. I can't believe that's actually based on reality! Means Merlin and Arthur were real too."

"Merthur for the win!" Melissa laughed as she and Faye knuckle-bumped.

Faye chuckled wickedly. "Two sides of the same coin, young warlock, destined!"

Jake and Adam sent each other uneasy looks, obviously understanding whatever weird language those two were speaking and not at all comfortable with whatever they were saying.

Diana's lips twitched as she watched the best friends, obviously not only understanding what they were talking about, but highly amused with it.

"Getting back to the point," Cassie sighed, shaking her head at those two before returning her gaze to Moira, "do the other Six operate in the same way then? With Hands and such?"

"While the Patriarch Circles do have certain assignments, they have different ways of classification and purposes." Gabe sighed, leaning forwards, elbows resting on his knees. "As far as I know, the Luthor Circle's resemble chessmen. A King or Queen (which, like Balcoins, are usually stronger than their male counterparts), a Rook, a Knight and a Bishop." He sent Chloe a little look before clearing his throat. "When Lionel killed his parents to assume leadership of the family and become the Patriarch Circle, he assumed the position of King, while Faora Bloome became the Rook, Edward Teague the Knight and Robert Queen, the Bishop."

"I managed to track down the descendants of the Sigans and from what I was able to observe in my travels, their categories are gemstones." Moira ran her fingers through her hair. "The leader is called the Clear, since Clear Quartz is a power and amplifying stone, and they also have the Amethyst, who is their seer/dreamer. The Bloodstone is the champion warrior, and the Hematite is their healer. I was told that these aren't fixed stones because in each new Patriarch/Matriarch Circle there mightn't be people with these specific abilities, but once they are discovered and chosen then they are given the name of whatever stone fits their ability."

"Is it always three?" Chloe asked, having noticed the pattern. "Other than the head of the Circle, there are always only three others."

"Three is a magical number, of beginning and end. It is why Circles are Six, since they are a beginning, middle, and end – which only begins the cycle over once more with a new beginning," Gabe responded.

"It's kind of mean, though. What about the other two who weren't chosen to be anyone special?" Faye made a face. "What are they? Chopped liver?"

"Everyone has their purpose in the Circle, just some aren't given names." Moira raised her chin.

"Well, they should." Faye, ever the one to argue, grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

"What I don't get is why this is happening." Chloe sat up, leaning forwards, uneasy. "I'm not building a Circle, I don't want one; that is something that John and I have in common. So why is it that Whitney and Diana are getting chosen and marked like this when it didn't happen to him?"

There was silence, Moira and Gabe unable to answer or look at her.

Jake cleared his throat, running his hand over his head. "Has anyone stopped and wondered whether this pact involving her is to blame?" He blinked when everyone turned to look at him. "I-uh-I'm probably completely off base here – but I try to think of this how it would be in the Witch-Hunters and I can't help but – uh..." He licked his lips, eyeing them all before turning his blues on Chloe as he scooted closer. "You're the Matriarch of the Balcoin lineage, right? That means that some day you're supposed to have a Circle of your own, even if you don't want that right now."

She nodded, scooting closer as well, interested in what he was thinking.

"But with that pact that your father made, he's tied you to a Circle that you wouldn't be the head of, it wouldn't be your Circle." Jake took in a deep breath. "Whitney only got the mark of the Hand after your Trials started, right?"

Chloe nodded once more.

"See? It makes sense!" Jake grinned brightly. "From what I'm understanding, the Trials are not only to prove that you're capable of being the new head or leader of the clan... They also show that you're worthy of it... And when you pass that means you will be ready for your own Circle – which would be impossible if you're bound to someone else's Circle. It's probably why you've been so against binding yourself to the Circle here, even though you never realized it. Subconsciously you knew you were the Firstborn – or at least your magic did – and knew that you couldn't be bound to a Circle that wasn't your own. So to prevent that from happening your magic made you feel uncomfortable and not want to bind the Circle."

This... It was making so much sense!

Hadn't John been adamant against her binding the Circle as well?

He'd known that if anything happened to him, she would be the next one in line...

"So, while you're in the middle of the Trials that are readying you to take over – your magic is working to try and correct things for when you finally pass the tests." Jake leaned back and chuckled in awe. "It's brilliant!"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Share the revelation with the rest of the class."

"I might be wrong, this is all conjecture, but if I'm right it means that..." Jake turned his blues on Chloe. "You can't be forcefully bound to a Circle – if you're already a part of one."

Chloe eyes widened at the possibility.

"But there's a blood oath." Cassie frowned. "It can't be as easy as that. If it were, then she could have just bound herself to the Circle here and everything would be fine."

Jake's smile disappeared as he leaned back. "I did say it was a possibility."

"And one that shouldn't be discarded lightly." Moira stood and walked away, leaving everyone in the living room.

"So is this whole Firstborn business only really concerning the Firstborns of the Six original families?" Adam wanted to know. "Because other than Cassie I haven't heard of any more Blakes."

"There are other branches of the Blake family still out there." Gabe shook his head. "I know a family out in South Dakota, good people. She's not the last of her family. But to answer your question it's important in every family if you're the oldest living bloodkin, yet not as important – not to the same degree – as it is for the Six."

"This is all interesting – don't get me wrong – but no one's explained the whole Hands and Eye thing yet." Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"Right." Gabe nodded, eyeing the young blonde. "The Balcoin's system used body parts because they believed that every member of their family was a piece of the Balcoin body as a whole. It was also why the weak were cut down quickly. They were removed just as quickly and thoroughly as one would cancerous cells once they've been detected in one's body. They believed weakness was infectious and could destroy them." He cleared his throat. "They've also employed humans as protectors, unlike other witch families, due to the fact that there are some spells that affect those with magic, so those without would be immune and able to fight and defend."

It was why Gabe and his family had served the Balcoin family for generations.

"But getting back to what I was saying..." Gabe's gaze was serious. "Chloe's the Soul. Yes, she's the First or Firstborn – the First is what it's called when the Matriarch/Patriarch isn't exactly born first, like John – and if she passes the Trials and is accepted as the head of the Balcoin family, her position will officially be the Soul. It's why the Firstborn has to prove his or her strengths via the Trials, because only with a strong Soul (which is where it is believed your magic comes from) can the body flourish." He reached out for Chloe's hand and eyed the designs there. "The Hands are next. They're both warrior champions and yet in different ways. It's hard to explain. While one is the Right Hand and the other the Left Hand, they both will have different symbols to represent themselves and give us a better understanding of their purpose. Whitney's has manifested as the Hamsa, also known as the Hand of Fatima, the Hand of Mary, or the Hand of Miriam. It's an open right hand, immediately letting us know which hand he is. It's a recognized and well-used sign of protection, especially against the evil eye." He let go of Chloe's hand. "Has anyone realized that his symbol isn't identical to Chloe's?"

"Mine doesn't have the Balcoin symbol in it," Chloe pointed out.

"No, I wasn't referring to that, that's to be expected. He isn't a Balcoin but he's been bound to the budding Matriarch Balcoin Circle, so the symbol is to show that he isn't Blood but Claimed." Gabe didn't seem to think that this was a big deal. "What I meant was the fingers on his symbol are spread while the fingers on Chloe's are closed together, which shows that he is a ward against evil for her, a personal protector who brings her good luck. The five fingers represent a lot of things like the five senses, marriage, and the holy prayers, just to name a few"

"Marriage?" Chloe's eyes widened. "I'll never live it down if he finds out!"

"I don't know why this surprises you." Gabe eyed his daughter thoughtfully. "Marriage is all about claiming someone, about bringing them into the family. Balcoins usually only ever have other Balcoins in their Circle, unless the person is married to them, so I can understand your magic reacting to your bond with Whitney in the way it would a marriage. It makes perfect sense, you become one. It's why he feels your pain when others don't."

Chloe could feel herself going redder and redder. "Dear god."

Gabe chuckled in some amusement at that before turning his gaze on Diana, reaching out for her hand. "You are the Eye, which has manifested itself interestingly enough as the Eye of Ra."

Diana's eyes widened and she got up, coming towards him as she placed her hand in his, letting him observe her symbol.

"The Eye of Ra is the feminine counterpart to the sun god Ra and a violent force that subdues Ra's enemies. The Eye is an extension of Ra's power, equated with the disk of the sun, but it also behaves as an independent entity, which can be personified by a wide variety of Egyptian goddesses, including Hathor, Sekhmet and others. Applying this, for the Balcoins the Eye usually is always a sibling with a strong maternal instinct, and her violent aspect defends the Soul against the agents of disorder that threaten his or her rule. This dangerous aspect of the Eye goddess is often represented by a lioness or by the uraeus, or cobra, a symbol of protection and royal Eye of Ra was involved in many areas of ancient Egyptian religion, including in the cults of the many goddesses who are equated with it. Its life-giving power was celebrated in temple rituals, and its dangerous aspect was invoked in the protection of the pharaoh, of sacred places, and of ordinary people and their homes."

Diana's eyes widened. "So I'm not just an advisor, I'm a protector as well?"

"The Eye and Hands are three protectors, though in different ways and serve different functions as well," Gabe clarified. "It's interesting because the Eye of Ra is an aggressive and protective symbol, a dangerous power that protects Ra from evil. In the legends, Ra's enemies are the forces of chaos, which also includes human, but also extended to deities who mightn't even be considered evil, just a threat to Ra." He eyed the brunette, who appeared disturbed. "You feel it, don't you? The fierce protectiveness? It's why you're the Eye of Ra and not, let's say, the Eye of Horus, which is more healing in nature."

Diana narrowed her eyes. "As far as I can tell, the Eye of Ra and the Eye of Horus look exactly the same, so how can you tell I'm one and not the other?"

"Because what is depicted here is the right eye." Gabe eyed the tattoo. "From very early times in Egypt the sun and the moon were regarded as the eyes of the great falcon god Horus, though the two eyes eventually became differentiated, with the left eye (the "Eye of Horus") often being regarded as the symbol of the moon and the right eye (the "Eye of Ra") being that of the sun."

Cassie frowned as she leaned forwards, seeming to be mulling over something.

"The Eye of Ra is a reflection of you." Gabe continued to look at Diana. "But the Third Eye itself is a high position in the hierarchy of the Circle because of its connection to the power of the Soul. The Third Eye understands the Soul better than any of the others because it has direct connection to it. It's why you could get through to her when others can't. Whitney's ability to get through to Chloe relies on touch, on reminding her magic that it has Claimed him, but yours is spiritual and doesn't require that. I began to wonder if you weren't the Eye when you were able to get through to her when Francis Balcoin's magic was in control. She stopped trying to kill you while she continued with the rest." Gabe finally let go of Diana's hand, which the brunette drew to her heart. "It means that you're the best person to advise Chloe because even when she's overcome by the darkness, or whatever takes a hold of her, you'll be able to See the right way to help her."

The phone rang in the kitchen, Chloe rising from the sofa, feeling angsty and a little desperate to get some air. "I'll get it." She left the room and entered the kitchen, sitting down on a stool as she reached for the phone. "Sullivan Residence, Chloe speaking."

"You sound like Mr Luthor's secretary," a surprising voice declared in her ear.

Chloe's eyes widened, the girl straightening on the stool. "Jason?"

There was a pause and then he sighed and cleared his throat. "So... You were swallowed alive and then made a Manticore explode."

The randomness of that comment made her laugh in surprise, shaking her head. "Yeah. I'm sure that after a few days, once I've been able to get every trace of it from my hair, I'll revisit the whole memory and find it cool and less traumatizing."

"I guess we should be relieved that Manticores devour their prey whole."

"It really makes those three rows of teeth useless if you really think about it." Chloe was surprised that she could joke about the whole being eaten alive thing.

"You've got a point; huge design flaw there." He wasn't laughing though.

Chloe gazed towards the living room before going to the back door and slipping outside, closing the door and sitting down on the top step. "So, to what do I owe this phone call?"

"I couldn't sleep, was bored."

She snickered, shaking her head. "It's late. Didn't you think I might be sleeping?"

"You were swallowed alive and then made a Manticore explode."

Well, he did have a point there. That sort of thing didn't exactly promote rest-filled sleepy times.

"So, where are you now?"

"Bed, staring at my ceiling. You?"

"Outside, on the steps." She stared out at the darkness in the back yard.

"Everyone discussing ways to get you out of the blood pact now that Lex and I aren't around?" he asked with dark amusement.

She didn't see why deny it given the fact that they knew no one was happy with the situation. "Amongst other things."

"When are those kids leaving?"

"Tomorrow, I think." She wasn't really sure to be truthful.

"Is your sister staying?"

"Diana?" Chloe shrugged. "I think it's safer for her to go, but I have the feeling she's staying."

"I meant Cassie." Jason sounded slightly amused. "I didn't even know Diana leaving was being debated. She's very protective of you, gives Lex and I the 'stay away or I'll zap you' look whenever we get too close. I don't think she's going anywhere."

Chloe felt bad for not having even considered that he might be talking about Cassie. "I don't think Cassie would even want to stay. I'm not her favorite person."

"Siblings are always jealous of each other, so you're already acting like family."

Her lips twitched slightly. "Are we now?"

"Definitely. I'm an only child but you should see Tess and Lex, they're somewhat fond of each other (though they'd prefer to kill you than admit to it) but neither truly trusts the other and Lex knows to be wary of any attempt on his life by her hands."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What?"

"She's a Luthor, Chloe. If he died, she'd take over the Circle. The only reason he's the head is because he's Lionel's Firstborn so he outranks her."

"Sucks to be a Luthor."

"It's what any head – or heir to the head – has to worry about."

She gulped.

"Baku."

She narrowed her eyes. "Gessundheit?"

He laughed this time. "The little statue over your fireplace? It's a baku. Place it under your pillow, it'll eat any nightmare you have tonight."

Chloe gulped, surprised and touched by this. "Okay, thanks."

"Lex wants you now more than ever." Jason once again was changing the subject at random, seeming to just speak out what came to his mind the second it did. It made her feel like this was truly a genuine conversation and not something he was told to do to get close to her by Lex Luthor. "Your friends and family are not going to find a way to get you out of the pact even if there was some sort of loophole. Lex Luthor always gets what he wants."

And with that he hung up.

Chloe stayed there for a couple of minutes, tapping the cordless to her chin as she stared ahead of her and went over the odd conversation she'd had with Jason. He'd sounded like he was warning her. And he'd been worried. He mightn't have come out and said it but he'd obviously thought about her enough to tell her about the Baku so she wouldn't have nightmares fueled by the day's happening.

Standing, Chloe entered the kitchen and paused for a second when she found Faye seated on the counter drinking a canned Coke, eyeing her thoughtfully.

"So, I've been thinking..." Faye tilted her head to the side. "Since Cassie's coming back with us tomorrow, she obviously has no plans on joining this Circle of yours, so can I?"

Chloe closed the door behind her.

"I mean, sure, first you have to somehow get out of this pact with the Luthor Circle." Faye continued to eye her. "If you do, I want in on the Balcoin Circle."

Chloe just continued to eye her in disbelief.

"I know it'll probably have to wait until I graduate – or, who knows, your principle might drop dead and I can get mom transferred – but it won't be tomorrow. I know that." She rolled her eyes. "I'm impatient but I do get that point."

"Then I don't get-"

"Because – I'm RSVPing. Just in case." Faye finished the drink and slipped from the counter, flinging the can into the garbage can and smirking when it went in. "A Circle's Six... and how I see it, counting yourself three spots are already taken. That leaves three more, and considering Clark and Greg will probably get the other two (even though Clark still somehow thinks that you'll all end up in this Lana girl's Circle so that may clear an extra space if he sticks to that Circle), well, thus the RSVP. I want in on the Balcoin Circle and I want to make sure there's a spot open for me."

"Aren't you a part of Cassie's Circle?" Chloe wanted to know, still so horribly confused.

"A, not _her_ Circle – we were all a part of it long before she came along." Faye made a face. "B, we've all decided we don't want to be bound right now. We're going to sow our wild oats and stuff before we actually settle into a Circle again."

"But you'd lose individual powers." Chloe wasn't getting this. Diana had told her how Faye had bitched for months about losing her individual magic.

"And yet I'll be a part of one of the most powerful Circles out there; channeling Circle Magic that's beyond crazy." Faye's single dimple was deep with her smirk. "I think I can live with the trade off." She made a face. "Plus Melissa traded phone numbers and emails with the Farmboy Mountain, so my bestie might just end up in love with him and moving to cornfield central and what sort of friend would I be if I didn't come along to keep her company and make sure she doesn't transform into some sort of country bumpkin?"

Chloe seriously had no idea what to say about all of this.

"Plus, you have a brother – _three_ brothers." Faye's smile was devilish. "I wanna meet them."

"Aren't you and Jake Armstrong-?" Chloe had felt a vibe between them, plus Diana had mentioned something about them being together.

"We're on and off, at this moment off." Faye shrugged. "We'll probably get back on again and then off again over and over again over the course of the next couple of months – but who knows the future. You know? Despite all appearances, because it's _so_ not cool, I believe in planning ahead."

Chloe was seeing that. She could also see that this girl was being serious. She wanted to… Uh… RSVP. "Why should I?"

Faye tilted her head to the side. "Accept me, you mean?"

"Yeah." Chloe folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not saying that I plan on actually forming a Circle, but if I do end up forming one like everyone's saying, why would I let you in it? I don't know you. I don't your skills, I don't know your weaknesses, I don't know if you'd be more trouble than you're worth." She didn't mean to offend but she'd be binding herself to this girl for their entire lives, so she needed to know this. "So far, all I know about you is that you have attitude and seem to have some sort of issue with Cassie. That's all."

Faye eyed her oddly before smirking, dimple deeper. "I wouldn't want this if it was easy, anyway." And with that, she sauntered away, completely confident.

Chloe watched her leave, shaking her head, a little amused with their exchange and still not sure what to make of it. She wasn't planning on making a Circle, but the thought of Faye Chamberlain in it was slightly frightening considering that according to Mrs Arkin, Greg had an eye on being a part of "her" Circle as well. Greg and Faye in the same Circle – that could be… interesting… to say the least!

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TBC


	39. Goodbye & Mistake

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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It was the morning of the Chance Harbor Circle's departure and Chloe was out back, seated on the steps, staying out of the way. She'd felt somewhat uncomfortable in her own home because of the strangers, and the fact that she'd tried to kill them twice, so she'd decided to stay out of the way as much as possible. Especially today of all days. They'd come here because they'd been worried about Diana and she wasn't going to get in the way of their last bits of conversation, especially since she felt somewhat guilty that Diana was staying here instead of returning with them. Those six in there had been a Circle, and a strong one, before she'd come along and Chloe could get why Cassie wasn't exactly her biggest fan. She did have a way of disrupting previously cemented Circles, didn't she? Lana was going to be pissed when she came back and found out that not only did Whitney and Chloe still not want to be a part of her Circle, but that Greg had apparently decided to join Chloe's nonexistent Circle as well.

The door opened and closed behind her before someone she hadn't expected sat down next to her.

They were silent for a couple of minutes before he cleared his throat. "We'll be leaving in a couple of minutes."

Chloe turned her head to glance at him as he stared ahead of him. "Are you still in love with her?"

Adam thought for a moment before sighing, lowering his head. "I don't know."

She continued to eye him, waiting for him to continue, feeling somehow that this was a question he'd needed to be asked for a while now.

"How much did she tell you about her, me and Cassie?" Adam asked softly.

"Everything. Down to the potion you took to stop loving Cassie."

He nodded, gazing ahead of him. "It seems like a fading dream – the whole "I'm in love with Cassie" thing. I suppose it's the potion, it gives me a sense of detachment from the whole thing, almost as if it never really happened." He made a face. "I remember loving Diana, I understand why I loved her, but I think that while I can't remember why I loved Cassie or how I loved her – I can never really do that to Diana. I would never want to hurt her that way ever again."

And that in itself proved just how much he cared about her sister.

Chloe had to admit she liked this guy. She maybe wasn't in lust with him or anything, but she seriously liked him. Something about him had gotten her to stand down from killing the others and there was just a soft spirit within him that was refreshing. Also, she'd watched the way he'd been with Diana and knew that even if he wasn't sure if he still was in love with Diana, he did love her. She'd like him for that much alone even if for no other reason.

"Take care of her for me, will ya?" He continued to stare ahead. "It's one of the reasons why I took that magic – because I couldn't protect her or Cassie." He lowered his eyes and let out a dark little chuckle. "Even the magic didn't find me worthy. It thought I was weak, a "bitch-boy"."

Chloe flinched slightly at the memory of those words leaving her mouth that night.

"I knew right away what I'd done was wrong, but by then it was too late." There was a haunting expression in his eyes. "It was horrible. I had nightmares every night. I was so tired. It affected my Conant magic and I wasn't sure when it would work, when it wouldn't, and when it'd backfire." He let out a little sigh. "I could feel this other personality inside of me, one I hated, which was driving me and my actions. I was moody and, well, let's just saw I don't blame Melissa for ending things between us."

Chloe had a feeling he hadn't told this to anyone yet, that he needed to let it off of his chest and that she was the only one who'd really get what he'd been going through.

"I'd been worried about Diana when she just up and left with Grant. There was just something I didn't trust about him. But when she said that she was with her eldest sibling, the dark magic inside of me just reacted. I almost couldn't breathe for a second. It wanted me to find her so I'd find you." He covered his face with his hands. "I was so agitated that day we arrived in Smallville; so jumpy, so itchy. And the closer I got to the flower shop, somehow I just knew – and then the dark magic inside of me wanted us all dead. I knew it deep inside. I knew somehow it had manipulated our emotions and our reactions so that you'd end up fighting us and killing us. It was only after you'd finally taken that thing out of me that I could control myself enough to-" He let out a heavy sigh, finally letting his hands slip from his face. "I'm a failure, just like my father, unable to protect those I care about the most."

She frowned before reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "I think you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

He turned his gaze on her. "How so?"

"You saved everyone's life the other day and you didn't use one bit of magic." Chloe gave him a wry smile. "I'm distrustful of people by nature, even those closest to me I have to fight to keep from pushing away, but I like you. I guess you can say my spirit takes to you."

He blushed slightly.

"Maybe it's the light in you that makes us dark Balcoin girls just stop and look at you." She eyed him curiously. "You're a good guy, Adam Conant. Go easier on yourself."

Adam continued looking at her before smiling slowly. "Only if you stop trying to push people away."

"I am!" She gave a little laugh, not at all offended. "It's not easy but I'm trying."

"Well, while you're at it, don't give up on Cassie." Adam's smile was intact, but his eyes determined. "She pushes people away too, for the same reasons you do. It took her forever to stop pushing us away and actually accept that she was a part of a Circle." His grin grew wide. "You two are actually really alike." He held his hand out between them. "Deal?"

Chloe eyed the hand before smiling softly and putting hers in his. "Deal."

They shook hands, smiling.

Neither noticed Diana and Cassie watching them from the kitchen window, the brunette with a small smile on her face, the blonde with an unreadable expression.

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"You didn't!" Melissa gasped in shock, eyeing her seriously gutsy best friend.

"Why are you so surprised?" Faye wanted to know, eyeing herself in the mirror in Diana's room, which they had commandeered during their stay. "I should have been a part of this Circle anyway. Mom was desperate to have John's kid, everyone knows it."

Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Faye…"

"Plus, she has brothers." The tall, leggy brunette smiled at her reflection. "I can always correct mom's mistakes and become a Balcoin this way!"

Melissa palmed her face. "You're incorrigible."

"Oh please. Plus, you'll probably end up in this Lana Lang's Circle with Clark. Considering you said he promised Lang and Chloe's brother Pete that they'd all be in one Circle, and Greg and Whitney are definitely not going to budge from Team Chloe, Lang is going to need the numbers because she's going to be three short." Faye thought that over, not exactly sure why, if they had a choice, anyone would want to belong to a Circle that wasn't the Matriarch Balcoin Circle. This brother of Chloe's didn't sound too smart. Then again, neither was Cassie. Now, if Faye had been born a Balcoin, she'd have found all five of her siblings and joined into a Circle immediately. The thought of the potential of a pure Balcoin Circle was just…

Faye fanned herself.

Melissa knew her best friend well enough to not ask what was going through her mind.

"Plus, she challenged me." Faye turned away from her reflection to eye her best friend. "I don't think I've been challenged to show my worth before." She grinned. "Sounds like fun."

Melissa sighed, shaking her head. "You realize you're trying to steal Cassie's place in her rightful Circle, right?"

"She's just as rightfully a part of the Chance Harbor Circle," Faye pointed out. "She is the one who so obviously doesn't want to be a part of this one. So why shouldn't I take advantage of a stupid move like that?"

Knowing there was no way she was going to be able to reason with her bestie, Melissa just shrugged and left the room, Faye trailing behind.

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"What now?" Mikhail wondered. "We've found the Firstborn and we know what we need to know. What. Now?"

"Do we have any more use for those two in the dungeon?" Trent wanted to know, playing with the blade in his hand. "I could probably get them to talk more. Once people break-"

"We have no more use for them." The one sitting in the shadows stood, shaking his head. "Kill them."

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"Get in."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, eyeing the man who'd pushed open the car door and was half leaning out of it. "It's not the best of times right now."

Lex Luthor merely raised his eyebrow.

Gazing behind her where the others were still saying their goodbyes, Chloe slipped into the car and closed the door behind her, putting on her seatbelt. "So, to what do I owe this kidnapping?"

He smirked, putting on his shades before speeding out, finally catching the attention of the others. "We're behind on our studies."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? This couldn't wait until the others were officially gone?"

"I didn't realize you all had become BFFs." His lips twitched at that teenaged word.

"We hadn't, but you're a rich boy, I'm sure even you were taught manners."

His lips twitched more visibly. "I have impeccable manners."

"When it suits you." She turned her gaze out the window, realizing for the first time that they weren't heading towards the Manor. "Where are you taking me?"

"Metropolis."

She turned her gaze towards him, eyes wide in shock. "What sort of field trip is this?"

"It's necessary," Lex assured her. "We've already proven that the Enthrallment doesn't work on me, and Jason won't play along, so unless you want to go kissing all the boys in your neighborhood, then I thought you might appreciate the anonymity of Metropolis."

Chloe leaned back hard on her seat, thinking about what he was saying and a little shocked because she hadn't really thought about that. He was very serious and, well, she was appreciative of that. The more he learnt the more she did.

Still, she made a face. "I'm not going to be kissing boys left, right and center, right? Because I don't want to get cooties."

He choked a laugh as he turned towards her, teeth showing in his grin. "Cooties? What are you? Five?"

"How about this, then?" She blushed slightly. "Do you know the amount of germs in the human mouth?"

"Staphylococcus epidermidis. Streptococcus mitis. Streptococcus salivarius. Streptococcus mutans. Lactobacillus..."

"Okay, okay!" Chloe interrupted his spiel of germs. "You're not helping your case. All you've done is given cooties various scientific names."

"Cooties." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Have you ever gotten someone back together?"

He turned his gaze towards her. "Excuse me?"

She didn't even know why she was talking to him about this. "I have a friend who broke up with his girlfriend because he thought she was cheating on him, but she wasn't and she says I have to get them get back together again because I'm the only friend of his she can stand." She pursed her lips in thought. "Thing is, I'm not exactly the matchmaking type. The closest thing I could think of is locking them in a closet or something until they talked things out, but that seems very fanfiction stereotypical."

"Fanfiction?" Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Every girl has her hobby." She sidestepped the question with a shrug, eyeing him. "Anyway, what do you have planned? How are we doing this?"

"I want to monitor your brain functions during the process and I have that equipment at my place in Metropolis, another reason why we're going there."

Chloe gulped, remembering that Diana wanted to come along so that Lex wouldn't get the idea of cutting into her or something. "How do you plan on monitoring my brain functions?"

"Nothing as dramatic as you're obviously imagining." He was, once more, highly amused with her. "I'll just attach two sensors to your temples and one to the back of your head with tape and they'll wirelessly transmit to the computer. It'll be painless." Sensing the way she eyed him Lex pulled off his shades and turned to look her in the eyes despite the fact that he was driving. "I promise."

She didn't answer, just stared into his eyes before looking out the window once more.

He put his shades back on and continued to drive.

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"What do you mean they escaped?" he snarled in fury as he gazed at his shocked men. "They were tortured within an inch of their lives, lost a finger each, and could hardly stay conscious! So how in the world could they have not only gotten out of their binds but this facility?"

"It seems impossible, unless they were helped." She joined him, raising an eyebrow, her protective, hiding charms swishing as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Are you accusing one of us of being a traitor, bitch?" Brent snarled.

"Say that to our faces." Trent tightened his hold on the blade.

Mikhail just leaned against the wall. "I'm too lazy to actually do something like that."

No one disputed that.

"That's not important right now," another voice declared as yet another male stood, languidly. "We know what we need to know. They're no threat to us. Not anymore." He turned to the first male. "We just need to act a little quicker than planned."

The other nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yes, we do." He shot a deathly glare to the others. "But we will re-address this little issue later. Be sure of that!"

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"You Luthors sure know how to make a girl feel romantic," Chloe quipped as Lex finished attaching the sensors to her temples, which were still a little sensitive from the attack from the Boogey Man. She also had a sensor taped over her heart and another against her solar plexus. It'd gotten a little awkward for her when he'd put those two on her but she'd refused to back down or offer to do them herself because she could feel how much her nervousness amused him. The sadist.

"Yes, we do. It's a natural gift." He turned his gaze towards the monitors, which were each receiving data from each of the sensors and transmitting them on the screen. She had no idea what any of the stuff she saw meant, but it must have been okay because Lex looked quite proud of himself. "Do try your hardest not to fall for me."

The girl couldn't keep the snicker from escaping her lips at that one. "Yeah, I will try my damnedest, but with this sort of treatment, it might all be a losing battle."

He chuckled, sending her a little look before going towards the monitors. "These will feed to my laptop in the next room. The John will come in here, you do your thing and keep it going for long enough to get a good reading." He pulled out a mask from behind one of the monitors and came to her, placing it over her face. "I don't want any random John to know what my little Firstborn looks like."

"Stop referring to them as Johns. I feel like a call girl. Also? I'm not your little Firstborn," she grumbled as she stared up into his face with a pout. "And anyway, shouldn't he be wearing some sort of sensor too so you can read how his brain and body react?"

"You have a scientist's brain, Miss Sullivan." Lex looked quite pleased with her. "Thing is, I don't know how powerful this thing is going to be or how it'll affect my equipment, so I'd prefer to have to redo the test and just test the subject being Enthralled than to hook the both of you up and experience an explosion."

She gulped at the very thought. "I see your point."

"Thought you would." He got up, looking at the clock. "Remember, the John thinks that this is a test on your lip gloss, which is supposed to "heighten" the feeling of a kiss for both parties."

"Yeah, yeah, go away already." She made shooing motions. "And stop calling him a John!"

Lex laughed on his way out.

Chloe grumbled to herself, sure he could hear all the names she was calling him as she just changed positions over and over again on the sofa as the minutes passed. The way Lex had been talking, the guy should have arrived by now, but another couple of minutes passed and she stood, getting fidgety now that she really had time to think about what she was going to do. Was she really going to have to kiss strangers now? Was that what she had to expect every time Lex wanted to check her powers?

Sure, it made sense considering that was how she was able to Enthrall people, and yet still… damn! The whole thing would end up making her unfeeling to kisses! They wouldn't seem so special and important to her anymore! And she resented that! And yet, if she ever wanted to have a normal kiss with a guy she liked and not worry that she was brainwashing him into becoming her mindless little slave, this was exactly what she was going to have to do. And that sucked, but it was something inescapable.

Sighing, Chloe threw herself back on the sofa and grumbled more against Lex as she thought back to her kisses, the first being Whitney the night when her power had awoken.

Now that she thought about it... Whitney had been her first and last kiss.

And she was kinda "married" to him magic wise.

Damn.

He'd never let her live any of that down if he ever found out!

Suddenly, the door opened and a tall, dark haired man stepped in, his eyes narrowing when he saw her. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

She sat up straighter on the sofa, recognizing him as the guy she'd seen while trying to fix the video link between the Smallville Luthorcorp facility and Lionel Luthor's computer. Even though he was handsome, she'd forgotten all about him and it was a shock to see him again.

This was the John?

Him?

Talk about coincidences!

"I asked you a question," his voice was a snarl as he stalked to her dangerously, fist clenching, static electricity crackling around it. "How the hell did you get passed the wards and got inside here?"

Oh dear god, he was a witch!

Lex had her practicing on witches!

And this one was pissed!

Or, uh, was this part of the rouse somehow?

She was so confused as she stood, staring up into his face, not sure exactly how she was supposed to be reacting.

He reached out and grabbing her by the front of her shirt, easily lifting her off of her feet and into the air as he snarled into her face. "I'm giving you two seconds before I-"

A test!

This was a test!

Lex was testing how her powers reacted when she was in danger!

That sneaky little bastard!

Reaching out, Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and brought the shocked man's lips to hers as she kissed him. This was the first time she'd kissed someone since Francis Balcoin's magic had begun residing within her (apparently dormant for now) and she was a little fearful of how it'd affect the Enthrallment, and yet as her lips moved over his, she could feel the power within her humming to life and slithering rapidly up her throat (an almost ticklish sensation) and into his mouth as he slowly began kissing her back.

This was the first time that she'd actually wanted to Enthrall someone and it worked, the girl grinning into the kiss in pride before giving a little gasp when he let go of her shirt to cup her ass and give her leverage, easily holding her weight in his one hand as the other trailed down her thigh before encouraging it to curl around his waist.

He was – strong!

Chloe gave a little cry as they were twirled around, the blonde holding onto him in fear of slipping and falling – and then he was seated on the sofa and she was straddling him and not exactly sure how they'd managed that swift move without getting hurt somehow. She pulled away slightly, eyeing the way his lips glowed pink slightly before going back to normal, the blonde narrowing her greens at that new response before giving a little cry when his hand reached behind her head to pull her into another kiss.

Pulling away, Chloe stumbled off of him and cleared her throat. "I-uh-" It was only then that she realized she'd never really ordered someone under Enthrallment before and wasn't exactly sure how to do this. "How are you feeling?"

He just smirked at her.

She gulped, not sure exactly how to do any of this and knowing Lex was probably watching and palming his face at her and her efforts.

The annoyance of that thought filled her with courage as she turned to him. "Will you do something for me?"

"Anything." That was the first word from his lips since she'd kissed him, the man standing as he came towards hers only to fall on his knees before her, his hands rising to her hips, his lips pressing against her stomach.

Chloe's eyes widened and she knew she was blushing red hot as she stammered. "I-I." She cleared her throat, looking up at the ceiling as he began to rub his cheek against her abdomen adoringly. "Stand on your hands and then on only one."

He pulled away from her and then did as commanded.

Effortlessly.

Dear god.

Who was this guy?

Chloe just stared at him in shock as he balanced on his two hands before finally ending up on one.

The door behind her opened and closed and Lex's footsteps could be heard as he reached her side, eyeing the John. "He arrived sooner than I expected."

"I thought he was kind of late," Chloe murmured as she watched him.

"He's not your John." Lex folded his arms over his chest. "He's one of my men."

Chloe's eyes widened as she swung her gaze to Lex. "What?"

"You have a knack for unknowingly Enthralling my men." Lex seemed far from pleased. "I should probably be relieved Tess and Oliver are not here or you'd probably already have them as your pawns as well."

"Why are you angry with me?" she snapped at him, forgetting all about the guy on his hand. "I'm just doing what you told me to do!"

"I never told you to Enthrall Davis," Lex declared before turning and walking out of the room. "We're done for the day. Order him to the Quarantine Room until this wears off. I'm taking you back."

Chloe glared at his back before turning back to Davis and sighing as she pulled off the sensors from her, placing them on the table. "Enough. Stand up."

He quickly and easily did as told.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about everything, but could you please go and stay in the Quarantine Room until you no longer feel the urge to follow my every command?"

"I shall happily die in there." Davis gave her a beautiful smile before leaving, determined.

Chloe groaned as she watched him leave, bringing her palm to her face with a little groan.

This was going to be so very awkward once the Enthrallment wore off.

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**TBC**


	40. Seeing Is Disbelieving

Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle

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_"I, John Balcoin do swear by lineage and blood, by magic dark and wild, to hand over to the Luthor Circle my Firstborn child. Whether male or female take no mind, this oath I swear intending to bind, my Firstborn to the Luthor Circle given, in exchange for my successful mission. Lineage and blood, magic dark and wild, all within this Balcoin child, joined forever to the Luthor Circle from first awakening to eternal slumber, a living crystal to strengthen their numbers."_

Those words were ringing endlessly in Chloe's mind. She'd put them to heart, memorized it word by word, knowing that it was important that she knew every single detail to the deal that'd culminated in the situation she was in at this moment. She'd told Moira and Gabe the exact wording and for the last couple of days (especially now that she'd survived the Warm Up), whenever her father wasn't working at Luthorcorp, he was at home with Moira looking through old tomes and trying to find a loophole of some sort to get her out of there. So far though, from what Moira was saying, the only options she could see were either to permanently Enthrall the Luthor Circle to Chloe's command... or kill them all. None of these options seemed even remotely plausible to Chloe. Not only was she really not looking forward to slobbering over all those people the amount of times it would take for a "thrall" to be made, but actually seeing a fully Enthralled Davis had creeped her out. She couldn't even think about multiple people being like that towards her.

_"I, John Balcoin do swear by lineage and blood, by magic dark and wild, to hand over to the Luthor Circle my Firstborn child."_

He'd sworn by his name, lineage, blood and magic. From what she was learning all those things were sacred to witches. He'd sworn by them to hand over to the Luthor Circle his Firstborn child. Her. He'd sworn by the holiest of holies to just give her up. At least he hadn't specified and said "Lionel Luthor's Circle" because then she'd be screwed with no wiggle room at all.

_"Whether male or female take no mind, this oath I swear intending to bind."_

Once again, that'd been pretty straight forward. If he hadn't said that then maybe, just maybe, since a Firstborn Balcoin girl was so rare it could be argued that John wouldn't have made that promise if he'd thought he'd have a daughter... But that argument was moot thanks to that little line.

_"My Firstborn to the Luthor Circle given, in exchange for my successful mission."_

This part explained the terms of the bargain; if he didn't pass the Trials then he wouldn't owe them a Firstborn – which was really obvious considering he'd die if he didn't pass the Trials.

_"Lineage and blood, magic dark and wild, all within this Balcoin child."_

She really didn't understand why this had to be repeated, given the fact that he'd already mentioned all this in reference to himself earlier on. And given the fact that she was the Firstborn it would have been obvious that she'd be the same as he. Also? It was obvious that she'd be a Balcoin.

_"Joined forever to the Luthor Circle from first awakening to eternal slumber."_

And dude, he'd bound her 'til death to the Luthor Circle. But what intrigued her was the fact that she'd supposedly been bound to them the second that she'd awoken magically. Did that mean that if her magic hadn't awoken then the contract wouldn't have been valid?

"Thanks a lot, Nell, for pushing everyone to forcefully awaken my magic."

Still, there was something about this sentence and the next that always stood out to her and she wasn't exactly sure why. It was why she was constantly going over the binding spell her father had used, going over it over and over again, trying to understand why these two last sentences really made her pause and feel that she was missing something. That they all were overlooking something very important.

_"A living crystal to strengthen their numbers."_

She got the whole metaphor and yet there was something about this part of it especially that made her have a little bit of a headache and a feeling that she should know something, or realize something, that she wasn't.

Bringing a hand to her head, Chloe made her way towards the back room of the Flower Shop, looking for a tylenol.

The construction on the school was being done in record time and they were promising that within the month, they'd have a high school which was even better than its predecessor. The school board was so grateful for all the upgrades and everything Luthorcorp was doing, that they'd announced to everyone that Smallville High School was being renamed Luthor Academy.

Shaking her head, headache growing, Chloe wondered how Linda would adapt to having to do most of the work again considering she'd gotten so used to Chloe doing most of it herself.

The door opened and Greg stepped inside. "So to what do I owe this summoning?"

"Let me get a painkiller and I'll tell you!" And with that, Chloe slipped into the backroom.

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"Married?" Whitney choked on his water as he helped Clark tend to the cattle.

"That's what Melissa said Gabe told them." Clark eyed the shell shocked look on his friend. "It's why you can sense her when something is up." He chuckled, slugging the blonde. "Don't worry. Melissa also said that Gabe mentioned that if Chloe binds other people to her Circle who aren't blood, that the magic will slowly get that that isn't the case with you two and that she's just being weird, even by Balcoin standards."

"I'm never going to let her live this down," Whitney promised, slowly seeing the humor in this whole situation.

Clark grinned, admittedly feeling a little evilly amused at the thought of the future teasing Chloe was going to suffer. "Just don't let her know I'm the one who told you!"

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"You don't love her." Jason was getting annoyed at having to remind Davis of this, wondering if Lex had been this annoyed with him when he'd been under Chloe's Enthrallment. He sat outside the reinforced glass door separating him from Davis. "You don't even know her name or what she looks like. She was wearing a mask for crying out loud!"

"It doesn't matter, not when true love is involved." Davis smiled dreamily, sitting on the ground in the Quarantine room, leaning with his back against a wall as he gazed ahead. "She is perfection and I will stay here until I die just to prove it to her."

Seriously, Jason was going to talk to Lex about allowing this to happen. Sure, it hadn't been planned, but Jason knew that Lex had had enough time to walk in and stop the Enthrallment from happening once he realized that Davis (and not the random dude hired to do this) was in the room with Chloe. So obviously Lex had just allowed it to happen out of some sort of morbid curiosity and then had ordered Jason to come to Metropolis and stay with Davis until this thing wore off, making sure he had food and water and didn't actually die as he swore he would all in the name of "true love".

"Her lips, they tasted like watermelon."

Jason sent Davis a little look before standing up, too agitated to remain seated anymore. "That's interesting." She'd never tasted of watermelon any of the times they had kissed.

"It suits her." Davis grinned, leaning his head against the wall. "I can understand why she prefers to use that taste."

"Nah, she prefers lip gloss that tastes like cinnamon." Jason couldn't stop himself and knew that he should not be antagonizing Davis right now; this wasn't his friend talking, it was the magic working inside of him. He knew that he should be more compassionate, understanding. Hadn't he been through the same thing himself? But the thing was that while he knew all of that he still couldn't help being so annoyed with his best friend. It was ridiculous. None of this was Davis' fault and yet – and yet the thought of Davis kissing Chloe and believing himself in love with her made Jason pissed off and on edge.

They'd never had this issue before. Davis wasn't the type to really spend his time being interested in women and for a while there, Jason had been preparing that whole "I knew you were gay all along and that's not going to change the fact that we're best friends" speech, but the confession had never come and after Davis' little fascination with the girl from the Luthorcorp facility in Smallville Jason had realized that his best friend wasn't gay at all.

Wait.

The girl from Luthorcorp!

Jason grinned.

Once Davis was out of this funk Jason was going to go through the IT personnel of the Smallville facility and find the girl for Davis! Set them up!

He grinned, some of his annoyance leaving him.

"You're nothing to her." Davis surprised him.

Jason frowned as he turned his hazels on his best friend. "What?"

"She might have kissed you before, but you don't mean anything to her." Davis sneered at him. "She just used you. But she loves me."

"I doubt she loves either of us, okay Dave?" Jason sneered right back at him. "She's a girl who is scared and cornered and-"

"And I'll protect her." Davis stood, clenching his fists. "I'll be her protector. Her savior. She'll always love me."

He hadn't gone on like this when he had been Enthralled, right?

"Look, Davey, you're not in love with her and she's not in love with you." Jason felt the need to drive that home to his best friend. "Lex wanted her to kiss you, so she did. That's it. She wouldn't even know your name if Lex hadn't given it to her."

"And what? You think you're more important to her? That she loves you?" Davis snorted as he shook his head.

"I'm not saying she does, but why would a relationship between us be so hard to believe?" He knew he shouldn't be arguing with Davis in this situation; shouldn't be lowering himself to argue with a man who was out of his mind at the moment, but he couldn't help it. "When I was dying and she didn't know anything about me, she saved my life." He could see Davis' eyes darkening. "When I kissed her with the pixie dust so she wouldn't Enthrall me, and she felt it wearing off, she wanted to put more dust so she could keep kissing me." He felt like a total asshole and yet the continual darkening of those eyes, and the scowl on that face, meant he was winning. "She's attracted to me, and damn it, I'm attracted to her too."

Davis snarled and the next thing Jason knew a fire ball exploded against the magically protected glass. Davis' hands clenched at his sides before, with a sharp shift of his wrists, he sent one fire ball after another at the glass.

"Stop acting out. You know your magic isn't going to affect this door and you're not going to come out until you've detoxed." Jason leaned his fist against the glass, admittedly provokingly, as he stared inside. "Throwing a tantrum isn't going to help you."

"This is why you've kept me away, isn't it?" Davis stalked up to the door and slammed his fist against it exactly where Jason's was, body language and facial expressions threatening. "Because you knew that she and I share something special and you don't stand a chance!"

"Just listen to yourself, Dave!" Jason shook his head. "She doesn't love you! The sooner you get that the better!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Teague." Davis hissed.

"You know what? Fine. I didn't want to have to do this like this but I'll show you. Maybe it'll help snap you out of it quicker." He whispered an incantation, silencing any noise coming out from the Quarantine room as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, placing it on speakerphone because he knew Davis would recognize her voice in this state. This was mean and damned awful of him, but damn it! He just needed Davis to snap out of it already! Before he actually really pissed Jason off!

"You know, I'm going to start wondering what sort of stalker you are," Chloe's voice was amused as she answered. "I can see you getting my house number, it's in the yellow pages, but my cell number?"

"You gave it to Lex so he could contact you if you're not home and I took it off of his cell." Jason turned his gaze on Davis, seeing the mixture of happiness and wariness on his face at the sound of her voice.

"Is he still pissed at me for Enthralling Davis?" She sounded a little awkward about that.

"That was more his fault than yours. He could have stopped it from happening if he'd really wanted to. I wouldn't be too worried about him, anyway. He's been spending his time going over the data he collected from the wireless sensors you were wearing when it happened." Jason ran his hand over his head. "How are you sleeping?"

"Fine, actually." She sounded odd. "Adam mentioned nightmares when he'd been harboring this power and, at first, I thought the Baku was what was keeping me sleeping so well so I didn't sleep with it last night, but it was just the same. I don't have the nightmares. I'm fine."

"Good to hear." He cleared his throat. "You wanna go for dinner sometime?"

There was silence.

"You still there?" Jason chuckled a little warily, turning his back on Davis momentarily.

"Did Lex ask you to ask me?"

And there she went again; pissing him off by assuming that everything he did was because Lex ordered him to do so. "You know, you're really going to have to start believing that I'm not some robot who only does what's told and has no incentive or desires of his own."

Okay, maybe he shouldn't have snapped at her if he wanted her to-

"Where would we be having dinner?" She sounded somewhat hesitant and yet curious.

He grinned, sending Davis a sideways glance. The sooner Davis realized she was not his and off limits, the better in Jason's opinion. "I have a feeling a five star restaurant mightn't be exactly what you'd like."

There was a pause and then- "I'm going to ask you something I asked Lex the other day but he was no help whatsoever."

He blinked, not exactly sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"You look like a heartbreaker."

He sputtered, this was not what he wanted.

"So that means that you must have wooed a good amount of women." She took in a deep breath. "So if you're trying to get back your partner, who thinks you've cheated on them but you haven't, but he won't listen to you because he thinks you cheated... What would you do?"

Jason felt so very confused. "Who thinks you cheated on them? Arkin?" He'd forgotten the rumor that those two were going out, something which he really hadn't taken much into consideration since he'd seen them together and they did not act remotely interested in each other sexually, much less like boyfriend and girlfriend.

"What? No. I'm talking about Van!" She sounded flustered. "And I didn't mean he thinks that I, uh, he and I are not, we've never!"

He found himself smiling, imagining her flushed and hands moving at the speed of light as she tried to explain herself. "So I'm assuming we're talking about two friends of yours and not you in particular."

"Yes." There was obvious relief in her voice. "Van and Dawn."

He had no idea who they were but was relieved as he nodded. "So I'm assuming Dawn wants you to set them back up somehow?"

"Something like that."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "How about this? We set them up on a date at a nice restaurant, without him knowing she's his date, and watch and see how things go?"

There was a pause and then... "Fan fiction stereotype Number 2."

"Huh?" Jason blinked, not exactly sure what she was talking about.

"How about we set them up on a date at a nice place and then we do something that doesn't require me having to look terribly out of place because I don't have the right attire for it?"

He grinned, knowing from experience that what he was going to say was going to piss her off. "I could always buy you something appropriate."

She hung up on him.

Jason laughed, shaking his head in dark amusement at this girl. She was right about something; he was used to dating girls and breaking their hearts, but he'd never found someone as interesting as her. And it wasn't because she didn't accept his gifts. There'd been others who'd done that as well. There was just something about this girl that amused him and made him want to tease her a little bit more.

And yet his smile slipped from his face as he turned towards Davis once more, finding a darkness and hatred in that face he'd never seen before.

Slamming his fist into the invisible barrier, Davis flashed him a murderous glare before turning and storming away to the opposite side of the room and sitting down.

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Diana hadn't been feeling so good, and that was why she was only now pulling herself out of bed and into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Maybe, if she felt a little better, she'd go and keep Chloe company at Potter's Potts. But from how she was feeling, she doubted that she'd be of any use and if this was a cold she might give it to the blonde. It would probably be best if she just trudged back upstairs after nibbling on something and went back to sleep. She was no good to anyone if she felt like crap.

"I'm not sure we can trust you."

Diana turned to see Moira standing in the doorway, arms folded over her chest. "Excuse me?"

"You went and blurted our secrets to a Circle that, only half an hour before, attacked Chloe." Moira eyed her. "You might be the Eye, but I don't know if you're really suitable for the job. For a position of trust."

Diana felt like she'd been slapped.

"You got that designation because of how my daughter feels towards you and also the fact that you do care about her, you being the Eye of Ra betrays that. Only those who are most useful to the Soul, and closest to them, get chosen for actual positions, unconsciously by the Soul itself." Moira didn't crack a smile. "But I don't trust someone who'd just go and do that to us like you did."

"I wasn't betraying Chloe. I was trying to explain-"

"They had no need to know," Moira interrupted her curtly. "It's none of their business. Gabe was the one who allowed them to stay, not me. If it had been left up to me, they would never have been allowed to get this close to Chloe. Especially not given the fact that you've caused bad blood between her and her sister Cassie. I don't care what sort of problems you and Cassie have. Don't bring my daughter in the middle of them. She has enough trouble as it is without getting tossed into the middle of a cat fight."

"I'm not-" Diana tried to interject.

"You're not bound to her Circle yet, don't think your position is permanent," Moira told her straightforward. "If your loyalties are to your old Circle, I can't blame you for that. I don't hate you nor am I persecuting you." She sighed. "But I feel that if your loyalties are to them, you should return. Decide already if you're one of them, or a part of this group." She turned to leave. "Chloe doesn't need such a wishy-washy Eye; doesn't need to grow attached to you only for you to mend things with Cassie and your group and then leave when Chloe considers you a permanent part of her family or Circle – whether she wishes to admit that it's a Circle or not. If that's what you're going to do, then just go and do it now than later. Chloe's already had a mother and a father who abandoned her because they found other things more important than her. She deserves better than that in her Circle." And with that Moira turned and left.

Diana lowered her head, feeling worse than she already did.

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"And I'm only hearing about this now?" Greg raised an eyebrow, eyeing the note in Chloe's hand. "Why is that?"

"Things kept getting in the way." She made a face at the piece of paper. "But I got another one today and I'm just getting a little annoyed now. Obviously this person is all mouth and yet they're persistent little buggers."

"And all they say is: I know who you are?" Greg sneered. "They fail in the intimidation scale."

Chloe took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry to ask you, but could you try and figure out who it is with your special ability?"

Greg grinned lopsidedly, reaching out with his scarred hand. "Let's see what your own personal Sherlock can pick up."

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Chloe reached out and passed the paper to him, watching as he eyed it thoughtfully. She remained silent, knowing he needed to be calm and that just like her, he was still trying to learn how to use his newfound ability. It took him a couple of minutes, but then his eyes shifted, pupils dilated slightly, and she could feel the magic working in him. It was odd since she hadn't felt it quite like that before.

Greg's pupils returned to normal as he took in a deep breath, shaking his head as he brought his other scarred hand to his forehead. "I think I need some tylenol as well."

Considering she'd just brought out the pack for herself, Chloe handed him two pills and before she could get him some water, he dry swallowed them quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Greg nodded, passing her the paper. "I saw who wrote and left this here for you to find." He frowned. "But it doesn't make sense."

"Why?" Chloe frowned as she eyed him. "Who did you see?"

"It has to be wrong. It was wonky." Greg licked his lips, face disturbed. "It was – it was almost as if there were two people who did it but it was only one person."

Chloe eyed him in utter confusion. "What are you saying?"

"Chloe... I..." He brought his hand to his forehead again. "The person I saw writing and leaving this here was..."

"Was who?" Chloe stepped closer.

"You're not going to believe me unless you see it too." And with that, Greg reached out and curled his fingers around Chloe's wrist, tightening his grip painfully on her as he pulled her closer, and when she stumbled into his chest, Chloe no longer found herself inside Potter's Potts but outside of it as a shadowed figure made its way towards the door.

The thing about this person, though, was that the body kept trembling and shifting, almost as if it weren't real, as if its disguise was failing.

One minute it was a man she'd never seen before... And then, as he stood after leaving the note, he turned to face her and it wasn't the man anymore.

It... It was...

Chloe gasped, eyes wide in shock and confusion. "_John_?"

That word seemed to cause the world to shake and return to normal.

"It can't be, he's dead." Chloe turned to Greg, completely shaken by what she'd seen. "And I've been getting these messages since before he died."

"The only way we're going to find any sort of answer is if we find that guy." Greg narrowed his dark orbs. "I don't mean to be an ass, but I'm thinking that until we know for sure who we can trust and that this isn't some sort of trap, we should keep this info from your parents and definitely your sisters, considering they are the ones who supposedly killed him. They could be working together on this."

Chloe hated the thought but she nodded. "I agree. We'll only tell those who need to know."

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**TBC**


	41. In A Pickle

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Diana wanted to believe that it was Moira's conversation with her that had her overly sensitive, and yet it really did seem as if Chloe was acting weird. The girl wouldn't meet her eyes and when she did, there was a questioning glint in those greens, one that was almost soul-searching. The blonde shrugged off Diana's questions on if something was wrong, had given a little smile and changed the subject, but Diana could tell that Chloe was keeping something from her. It wasn't because she was the Eye and Saw things. No. It was because she'd gotten to know Chloe well enough now to know that she wasn't being open and herself. She was quiet, pretended to be reading books to keep from having to talk, and whenever she thought Diana was busy doing something else she just watched her.

It just made Moira's words hit home so much harder.

Chloe was keeping something from Diana because she couldn't trust her.

And damn it, that hurt like hell.

Diana had thought she was doing the right thing at the time and yet now it was coming to bite her in the ass. She didn't like feeling this way, hadn't ever felt it since she'd arrived. She was on the outside and Chloe was being friendly and nice but she had a wall up between them. Diana could feel it and no matter how hard she tried to get past it and talk to Chloe, the blonde just made it stronger and smiled brighter and laughed off any fears the brunette had.

Thing was, Greg couldn't hide it as well as Chloe could. He knew whatever was going on and he didn't hide the way his eyes narrowed on Diana as he watched her like a hawk, almost as if waiting for her to do something, to attack. It was like a slap in the face.

But what really got her was Whitney. She was supposed to be working on that special little mission with him but he had called the whole thing off around the same time Chloe and Greg started acting weird.

Clark was the only one acting normally towards her.

Diana didn't understand what was happening and felt alienated and hurt. And Moira's words were haunting her. Was this really her fault? Had she really done so badly in telling the others? Moira – she'd been right when she said that the others really didn't need to know the specifics, and Chloe's group had no reason to trust the Chance Harbor Circle. Diana trusted them because they'd been her old Circle and she knew that they wouldn't hurt anyone, that they were the good guys, and that if they could help, they would. But the others didn't and she could finally see how she'd actually betrayed their trust.

Damn.

She felt caught in the middle of a rock and a hard place.

Moira was right. She was caught between two Circles. She felt like she belonged here in Chloe's Circle, but she'd never stopped feeling as if she were a part of the one in Chance Harbor.

Sliding down the wall, Diana hugged her knees to her chest and stared ahead numbly.

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"I say she should go back to Chance Harbor," Greg declared in Potter's Potts. "We can't trust her."

"She mightn't know what's going on. Have you even considered that?" Chloe frowned at him. "You have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She could be innocent in all of this."

"But she might not be." Whitney didn't look happy at the thought, face impassive. "Really, what proof do we have that John Balcoin died? Her and Cassie's word. That's it."

"Adam was there too." Chloe reminded, thinking back to the day the curse nearly killed her friends, of the presences she'd felt once she'd connected with her father's spell while trying to save Jason.

"He's a part of their Circle, Chlo." Greg stood, coming towards her. "She is a part of their Circle. Not ours. Her loyalty is to them." He narrowed his eyes. "This could all be a trap for you."

"It doesn't make any sense." Chloe eyed the two determined men. "He died."

"How can you know that for a fact?" Greg pushed.

"Because I'm the Matriarch! Because the Trials were sped up! Because I have a Hand and an Eye – an Eye who I'm not trusting right now!" Chloe threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "None of that would be happening now if my father was still alive!"

"She's got a point." Whitney leaned against the wall.

"We saw John Balcoin," Greg pushed.

Chloe lowered her head, unable to deny that.

"This has to be explainable somehow." Whitney gave a groan.

"We need to talk to Diana," Chloe declared for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Even if she's somehow involved, we need to talk to her. Even if only to gauge her reactions."

The door opened and Clark entered, an odd expression on his face. "I have to leave."

"Where the hell are you going?" Greg wanted to know.

"France." Clark took in a deep breath. "I just got a call from Pete. He has everything arranged for me, says he needs me urgently in France and that he can't explain it until I'm there. He says it's a matter of life and death."

"I don't know if you've realized it, Kent, but _this_ is a matter of life and death." Greg took a step towards him.

"Go." Chloe stood, going towards Clark and placing her hands on his arms. "Pete wouldn't have gone to so much trouble if it wasn't urgent."

"I think nothing's as urgent as the fact that your psycho dad might be still alive and stalking you." Greg pointed out.

"It's fine." She reached out and placed a hand on Greg's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "I've got you and Whitney to protect me. I'll be fine."

Greg's annoyance melted into a reluctant, crooked smile. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Chloe's smile was genuine though tinted with worry as she turned back to Clark. "I need you to promise you're going to be careful."

"I'm so sorry, I-!" Clark started.

Chloe pressed up on her tiptoes and hugged him. "I know."

Clark gulped before wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I'll come back as soon as I can."

She nodded before letting go. "When's your flight?"

"In an hour from the Metropolis Airport. I have to go immediately. Pete said not to worry about packing, that there was no time." He sighed. "I'll have to contact mom and dad after I reach France and they are gonna be pissed."

"Go on, then. You have a battle ahead of you. We're here if you need us." Chloe stepped back as Greg and Whitney shook Clark's hand before the farmboy gave them one last look before leaving.

Whitney stood next to Chloe, watching him leave, his hands in his letterman pockets.

Greg took position on her other side, scowling. "And then there were three."

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Davis had been silent ever since that phone call with Chloe, and while Jason probably would have lost it if he'd had to continuously listen to his best friend claim his eternal love for the girl – this silence was eating at him as well. Davis was usually a silent person so that wasn't it. No. It was the darkness in that face that was getting to Jason. He'd never seen that sort of murderous expression on his best friend's face and it wasn't going away.

To take his mind off of things, he'd left Davis alone for a while as he went through the Smallville Luthorcorp facility personnel files only to find that the only IT personnel listed was a greasy looking guy in his thirties. No cute girls at all. And from the records, Mr Greasey had been working for the facility for ten years now.

Which really begged the question: who had Davis been talking to that day?

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Cassie had been all "Circle-ness" since they'd come back. She was always with one of them (even Faye hadn't been able to escape her) and seemed to want to clean up her act. She was over at Jake's, cleaning and cooking for him, she worked with Adam at his father's place, and was hanging out more and more whenever Faye just wanted to go somewhere with Melissa. Melissa, of course, not only let Cassie tag along but seemed to really enjoy having her around. Faye wondered if everyone was putting up with this because they felt bad for Cassie or because they actually liked it. And she had the horrible feeling that they actually liked it.

"So you say he hasn't been answering your phone calls and he's being vague on the email." Faye raised an eyebrow. "He's a guy. Why are you surprised?"

"You don't get it, Clark's different." Melissa defended the boy from Smallville vehemently.

"How many times do I have to hear you say that before you realize that no guy is "different"?" Faye wanted to know.

"I don't know, I have to admit it, Clark seemed like a sweetheart." Cassie was, of course, there as they looked at clothes. "He doesn't seem like the type who'd just blow Melissa off like that. He looked like he really liked her."

"You think so?" Melissa blushed.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, smiling softly. "He looked at you the way Adam used to look at me before we..." She then cleared her throat and picked up a dress at random from the rack. "This is nice, right?"

"Totally." Melissa, obviously on a high from what Cassie had said, was all smiles and sunshine.

Faye rolled her eyes. "So, Cassie, have you heard from Diana since you've come back?"

Cassie licked her lips, clearing her throat. "Uh, not yet."

Melissa sent Faye a look before smiling at Cassie. "I'm sure she's waiting on you to call first. You know, to let her know you arrived safely."

"What did you think about Chloe?" Cassie changed the topic completely as she finally stopped pretending she cared about the dress.

"In what way?" Melissa tilted her head curiously.

"Voldemort Barbie." Faye described the oldest sister with two words. She was awesome like that.

"I mean, she seemed nice enough, right?" Cassie made a face, ignoring Faye as she concentrated on Melissa. "A little preoccupied, but nice. Adam really seemed to like her, and he's usually a good judge of character. Better than me at least."

"I really didn't talk to Chloe much, but I know that Clark thinks the world of her and Clark's a great guy who I feel I could trust the judgment of." Melissa gave a little awkward smile.

"It was kind of – I don't think I took the whole situation well at all." Cassie groaned, covering her face in embarrassment. "I think I acted like a brat."

"No, you didn't." Melissa comforted.

"Yeah, she did." Faye countered.

Of course, they ignored Faye.

"Diana said something that's been making me think." Cassie sighed. "She said that she wasn't the only family I had left. It's taken this long for it to sink in."

Faye kept back the snarky comment she was gonna make about dumb blondes only because if she was really trying to get into Chloe's Circle, she was definitely going to have to stop using those type of comments and to do so, she'd have to get used to it from now on.

So the brunette just bit back on her tongue and pulled out a random shirt, pretending to be engrossed in it.

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Diana hugged her knees tightly, wiping at the tears in her eyes, trying to figure out what to do.

Chloe had invited her to keep her company at Potter's Potts but she'd pretended (as she had these last couple of days) that she was still too ill and stayed behind. She wanted to go but she needed to figure out some things before she could do so.

She really hated this divide growing between her and Chloe.

She hated it tremendously.

Diana just didn't know what to do, what she _should_ do!

She-

Suddenly, a feeling of dread pierced through her so harshly it left her in pain and without breath.

Diana's dark orbs widened, not knowing how she knew it, but that it was real.

Chloe was in danger.

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The door opened and Chloe looked up from where she'd been arguing with Whitney, surprised to see the girl from before, Gina, and a couple of guys.

"Gina." She smiled, ignoring the way Whitney and Greg tensed up behind her. "How are you doing? Did you manage to find your way to your aunt's?"

"Yes, thank you." Gina smiled as she came closer. "I found what I was looking for."

Chloe could see the tension in the room and yet kept her smile on her face. "Well, that's great." She refrained from looking at the men since Gina was the one closest to her. "How can we help you?"

"You can come with us," Gina replied. "Without a fight."

"Now why would I do that?" Chloe wanted to know, dropping the smile as she narrowed her eyes on them.

"Because we have men watching the houses of these two's mothers," Gina announced easily, pointing to Greg and Whitney. "And you wouldn't want them hurt, would you?"

Chloe's eyes widened, turning to look at Whitney and Greg before returning her greens to the woman. "Fine."

"Chloe-" Whitney started.

"Get to your mothers, make sure they're fine," Chloe hissed to him before moving towards Gina, holding her hands up as if she were going to get cuffed.

When Gina made to grab her, Chloe grabbed her wrist and pulled it with a jerk, causing the girl to be off balance as Chloe elbowed her in the face.

"What was that for?" Gina cried, holding up her hands to her face as one of the men grabbed Chloe and twisted her hands behind her back.

Whitney and Greg moved to help but Chloe shook her head for them to stop.

The blonde eyed Greg in silence before he nodded slowly and she turned her gaze to Gina. "That's for if you've hurt them already."

Gina shook her head. "Take her."

The men did as told, taking the sedate girl with them.

Chloe saw a group of cars awaiting ahead, the girl narrowing her eyes as the door was opened.

"Chloe?" a very unexpected voice asked.

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned her head to see Nell Potter walking up towards her.

"What's going on here?" Nell frowned.

"No time for this." One of the men declared before whispering something and sending Nell flying into the wall, knocking her out.

So they were witches.

Taking in a breath, Chloe stepped into the car and stared ahead of her as on either side of her a man slipped in to the car and sat.

The convoy made its way out of Smallville. Chloe gazed down at her hands and wondered just how long it would take Gina to realize that her bracelet was missing.

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Greg reached down and picked up the bracelet the brunette hadn't realized Chloe had taken from her during their scuffle. He realized why Chloe had allowed herself to be taken so easily and he gulped passed the lump in his throat at the thought of how much faith she was putting in him and his abilities at this moment. He couldn't let her down. But first he had to make sure that his mother was fine.

Slipping the bracelet into his jacket pocket, he turned to Whitney (who already had his mother on the phone). "We have to-"

The door opened and Diana raced in, wearing very baggy and unbecoming sweats. "Chloe's in trouble!"

"No shit, Sherlock," Greg snapped at her, still not completely sure she wasn't a part of this. "She's just been kidnapped by a group of assholes."

"Just, the both of you, stay there." Whitney ended the conversation and looked at Greg. "They were lying. Our mothers are at their weekly knitting club with a bunch of other women. They're safe."

"My mother knits?" Greg blinked in utter shock. "Since when?"

"Since she found out about you?" Whitney eyed him in shock. "She's reached out to Mrs Kent and my mom, who were both "in the know" and since they're in the club, she's joined in?" He shook his head. "You need to start paying more attention to things."

"_Knitting_..." Greg shook his head, unable to believe that one, before turning to Whitney. "We need to go to the Talon."

"There's an unconscious woman outside," Diana mentioned.

"You take care of her." Whitney made for the door. "Greg and I have something we need to do."

"I'm coming with you." Diana frowned as she walked towards him, eyes narrowed. "I can help."

"Just stay here," Greg snapped, already heading to the door.

"No!" Diana snapped right back, the door locking in front of him before he could step out. "I don't care if you have a problem with me, Chloe's my sister and I'm going to help, damn it!"

Whitney looked between them.

"And how do we know you aren't behind all this?" Greg snarled as he turned to face her, eyes dark. "How do we know pretty little Diana Meade isn't the evil mastermind behind everything?"

"Why in the world would you think that I would have anything to do with this?" Diana gasped in shocked horror.

"Maybe because you've been caught in enough lies," Greg hissed.

Diana clenched her fists. "I have never lied to you."

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" Greg snarled.

"Yeah! I do!" she hissed.

"That is enough!" Whitney finally stepped in between the two murderous looking dark haired teens. "Chloe's in trouble right now and we don't have time for this sort of bickering." He turned to Greg. "She's coming with us. We're wasting too much time arguing on that point." And with that, the locks on the door opened and he stormed out before pausing, eyes wide. "Nell?"

Greg hurried out after him, eyes widening to see Nell Potter unconscious on the ground. "Damn. Not the kind of home coming she was expecting, huh?"

"Wait, this is Lana Lang's aunt?" Diana was at their side.

Greg motioned to Whitney, grabbing Nell's legs while the blonde grabbed her arms, the two taking her inside before leaving her on the ground and closing the door after them. They'd come and check up on her later.

There was no time for any of these distractions, Whitney had been right about that, the three of them hurrying over to the Talon while Whitney texted Gabe and Moira about the situation.

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"For the record, you could have broken her nose if you'd lifted your elbow a bit more like this," the guy to her right declared, showing her what he was talking about as jerked his elbow. "It's probably only bruised, but you've got potential."

Chloe eyed him curiously. "I'll remember that next time."

He grinned broadly at her before nodding. "Do that."

What sort of kidnappers were these?

"So why didn't you actually use your magic? Not that, you know, girl on girl isn't nice to watch." The guy on her left asked curiously. "If you'd used your magic, there would definitely have been more of a fight – we were expecting that."

"I wasn't going to do anything that might force you all to hurt Mrs Fordman and Mrs Arkin," she replied truthfully, finding this the most civil kidnapping she'd experienced so far.

"Oh." The guy on her left nodded. "Though, to be truthful, we didn't have the time to scout for them. They're fine."

"Yeah, don't worry about them," the one on her right added.

"That's... good." Seriously though, what gives?

"And if she tries something, remember, raise the tip of your elbow a little higher next time." The one on her right reminded.

"Right." She nodded slowly. "You guys don't like her, do you?"

Both snorted.

Even the driver snickered up front.

"So, why are you bound in a Circle with someone who you don't like?" she wanted to know curiously.

"We're not bound." The one to the right made a face at it. "You think we'd be fool enough to not be able to use solo magic anymore?"

"I see your point." She figured if they were being civil, all things considered, she should probably do the same. "I think that's a big compromise. And when they say it's so the group can be protected – how are they more protected now that they can't use magic if they're in danger when no one else from their Circle is around?"

"Exactly what I've been saying!" the one on her left declared with a huge ass smile, hand out towards her. "I'm Brent and that's Trent – no relation."

"Chloe." She felt so surreal shaking Brent's hand, and then Trent's, almost as if she were meeting new guys from school and not her kidnappers.

"You've got a strong grip, speaks well about you," Trent observed as he let go of her hand.

She gave him an awkward smile. "Thanks..."

What the hell was going on?

And why exactly were they telling her their names?

Shouldn't they be hiding their identity?

Unless... Unless the plan was to kill her.

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Once they entered the Talon, Greg pulled out the bracelet and tightened his grip on it as it crashed over him like a wave, forcing the breath out of him as images began to move in fast, reverse succession. He saw Chloe getting that bitch in the face with her elbow, and then the brunette with a group of young men, and then the brunette in the shop with Chloe and Whitney, the blonde girl showing her something on a map.

The pain began to throb in his temples but Greg ignored it, tightening his hold on the bracelet as he stepped forwards, watching the girl watch Chloe, and then the image changed to the girl looking quite torn up but viciously pleased, one of the boys helping her out of a car.

Again the image changed and this time when it did it shocked Greg, the brunet unable to hide his surprise and then anger at the fact that this scenario hadn't crossed his mind before. How could it not have?!

Finally the images disappeared and Whitney and Diana were standing in front of him, identical looks of wariness and worry on their expression, Greg feeling a bit like an asshole for having accused Diana for being behind it all when it'd been someone else entirely.

"Well?" Whitney stood straight. "What did you see?"

"Do you know who is behind this and where they've taken her?" Diana clenched her fists.

"I don't know where they have her now, but I do know who will know." Greg slipped the bracelet into his pocket, lips a grim line.

"Who?" Whitney narrowed his eyes.

"The man behind it all." Greg met his stare. "Lex Luthor."

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**TBC**


	42. New Players

**Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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It wasn't grand like the Luthor Manor and it wasn't intimidating and cold like the Luthorcorp penthouse in Metropolis, but it was still grander than anything else Chloe had ever been in. She wasn't even exactly sure where she was, given the fact that Brent had talked endlessly during the car drive and had taken up most of her attention, with Trent mumbling his little inputs now and again. All she knew was that it was an old warehouse that looked like a piece of crap from the outside, but inside was a state of the art, fully secured place that'd been subdivided into rooms such.

"Welcome to our home sweet home!" Brent grinned, arms flung out. "To be honest, I feel like a Lost Boy showing Wendy his home in Wonderland."

"Neverland," Trent corrected, arms folded over his chest. "Wonderland is _Alice_."

"Right." Brent nodded, not seeming at all bothered by the correction by his much more silent and subdued friend. "Come now, then, Wendy. Let's take you to meet Peter Pan and the other Lost Boys!"

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"How _dare_ you even _suggest_ that I would break our deal!" Lex snarled, slamming his hands down hard on his desk, not about to back down from this room of furious people, even if he was on his own given the fact that Jason was still babysitting an Enthralled Davis in Metropolis. "When Luthors give their word, they keep it!"

"I knew we couldn't trust him," Moira snapped.

"If you've hurt her-!" Gabe hissed.

Lex narrowed his eyes, his power glowing around his fists menacingly. "I had nothing to do with her kidnapping."

"That's a _lie_," Greg snarled. "You _know_ the woman who kidnapped her!"

"I know a _lot_ of women. Doesn't mean I'm behind their every action!" Lex snarled right back.

Whitney was silent and yet his hands were clenched so tightly at his sides that they were shaking.

Diana reached out and placed her hand on his arm, eyes wide as she pointed to something.

Whitney gazed down at her hand on his before going to where he she was pointing, the blonde's eyes widening.

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Chloe stood awkwardly in the room where more guys were gathered, all watching her as if she were some interesting sight to behold. She didn't see Gina anywhere and wondered if she was somewhere having her nose looked at. The blonde gulped, looking around the room. While there were many guys here, all of them intimidating looking, there were two especially that called her attention. She couldn't help her gaze from zeroing on them as they stood and gazed right back at her. One of them was fascinated and very curious, while the other had a smirking look on his face and his eyes… Well. The way those eyes raked over her made her a little self-conscious.

"Chloe Sullivan," the one with the smirk returned his gaze to her face as he stepped closer. "Welcome to my humble abode. Not many have ever seen the inside of our Headquarters."

"Wendy." Brent smiled. "Meet Peter."

"Are we doing the Lost Boys thing?" This "Peter' chuckled at Brent before returning his gaze to her as he stepped out. "We've been looking for you for a _very_ long time. We're just glad we were able to find you in time."

"In time for what?" She narrowed her eyes, alert as he drew closer to her.

"The fact that Lex Luthor was so close to you proves that you already know what being the Firstborn Balcoin means." The boy drew closer 'til he was right in front of her. "The servitude."

How the hell did he know so much? "And you're here to _save_ me from being a servant of the Luthors?"

"Of course." He reached out for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it. "Think of me as your knight in shining armor."

She was not buying this. "How would you do that and what's in it for you?"

"You wound me." And yet he was chuckling as he pressed another kiss to her hand before letting her fingers slip slowly through his, free. "I merely want to save you."

"And why would you?" She narrowed her eyes on him. "How _could_ you? If you know as much as it seems you do, then you know that I've been promised to belong to a Circle with a Luthor in it. There's nothing you could do to stop that."

"On the contrary." He smirked, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. "I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

Chloe tilted her head up slightly to get a better view of his face. "No, you haven't."

"How rude of me." He gave a flourish of a bow, before chuckling and straightening once more, obviously enjoying this little game. "My name is Lucas. Lucas Luthor."

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"That's her." Whitney stormed over to the picture on the mantle and pulled it off, pointing to a girl grinning brightly at the camera while giving Jason and some dark haired guy bunny ears. "This is the girl. Gina."

Lex narrowed his eyes, furious. "You've gone too far." He jerked the frame out of Whitney's hand. "Get the hell out."

"Who is she?" Greg narrowed his eyes, stepping forwards and placing his hand on the frame before his breath was knocked out and his pupils contracted, obviously seeing something.

Lex pushed Greg back with a snarl. "Do not _touch_ that!"

Greg stumbled back into Gabe's hold, a hand on his forehead as a shocked expression dawned on his face. "That makes no sense!"

"What did you see?" Diana turned to her.

"He thinks – He's not behind this." Greg stared at Lex. "I was wrong. He – she – He's more in the dark than we are."

Lex narrowed his eyes at the boy. "What are you saying, Arkin?"

"I'm saying..." Greg straightened himself, eyeing the bald billionaire. "You've been played."

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Luthor?

_Another_ one?

But Lex had mentioned a sister, not a brother!

"I'm yet another bastard Lionel had and didn't care to give his name to, yet unlike my older sister Tess, I wasn't even allowed to know I was a Luthor." Lucas' smile was resentful as he stood. "I would have gone through my whole life not knowing who or what I was, why I was different, if... Well... Let's just say that someone made sure I didn't live an ignorant fool and I'll always be eternally grateful to that person for that."

"So what? You're a Luthor so you think you're going to "save" me by making me join _your_ Circle instead of your brother's?" Chloe gave him a sneering smile. "Keep me out of your pissing match with him."

The other guy, the one with the straight, chin-length brown hair smirked in amusement.

"You have it all wrong," Lucas assured her, smirking with dark amusement as he drew closer, brushing a blonde strand out of her face and behind her ear. "I don't want you to join my Circle."

She had to admit it, this wasn't what she'd been expecting, and she fought with herself to keep from backing away, wondering if he mightn't have inherited the rare Luthor ability to steal others' powers. "Then what _do_ you want?"

"What I _want_," Lucas began.

"What _we_ want," the other guy corrected with a European accent while giving him a sideways look.

"Right, _we_." Lucas rolled his eyes before returning his gaze on her. "What _we_ want isn't for you to join our Circle. What _we_ want is to join _yours_."

Chloe's eyes widened as she stared at the men all around her. "_What_?"

"How we see it you need a Luthor in your Circle; it's the only way the pact won't make you a slave." Lucas folded his arms over his chest. "And us? Well. From what we can tell, you have three other siblings, two of which at least have no plan on joining in a Circle with you. Mikhail and I want their place in your Circle."

"I thought no one in the Circle here was bound because you didn't want to lose your solo magic." Chloe felt there was a catch somewhere, the whole thing just too unbelievable.

"I wouldn't have an issue with that." Mikhail gave her a crooked little smile as he raised his palm so that it was facing her.

Chloe's eyes widened and she moved without even realizing it, sidestepping Lucas and going to Mikhail's side, eyeing the Balcoin symbol burnt into his palm. "You're-" Her greens rose to his browns. "You're my brother."

He eyed her silently, almost warily.

Chloe couldn't help her lips from curving in a smile as she stared up into his face. "I've really wanted to meet you."

Mikhail's wariness slipped away, relief crossing his browns before he smiled back at her. "And I you." He eyed her before placing his palm between them. "I am Mikhail."

Chloe moved to place her hand in his. "I'm Chloe."

"And _I'm_ apparently long forgotten." Lucas snickered as he turned to face them.

They didn't notice him though because the second Chloe's hand slipped into Mikhail's, a blast of power exploded outwards from them, engulfing everyone before all the lights in the place burst. And then everything went black.

"That was so awesome!" Brent could be heard declaring.

Orbs of light began rising from the men around her, lighting the room with the ethereal lights, reminding her that they were all unbound witches.

"What exactly happened?" a voice asked, everyone turning to see Gina appearing, her nose a little swollen and yet didn't seem broken.

"ET phoned home," one of the boys declared.

Chloe turned toward Gina, slipping her hand out of Mikhail's as she eyed the brunette.

"I'm sorry for the deception, but I had to make sure." She came to stand in front of the blonde. "I knew that if Lex and his group were in Smallville, you had to be as well, and I also know that John Balcoin's children needed to be protected. At all costs. I've always known this. It's why I've done what I've had to do to make sure that you were all found, safely, and that the Firstborn was never forcefully bound to a Circle that was not her own. She has to be the leader of the new Balcoin Circle. There's no other way it can happen." She smiled. "You're the last remnants of the Sixth family and I don't think anyone else has realized what it would mean for the magical society in whole if one of the Six families became extinct. The ramifications – it'd affect us all profoundly, negatively, at our very foundations." She gave a sad little smile. "It's why my father trained me from childhood to do what I must so that I could be in a position to help the Balcoins, and specifically, _you_."

Chloe took a step towards her. "Who are you?"

Gina lowered her head with a little sigh before raising it, smile sadder as she reached out her hand. "Let me introduce myself."

Chloe eyed that hand before placing hers in it warily.

"My name isn't really Gina," the brunette admitted softly. "It's Patricia Swan."

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"You're _wrong_." Lex was obviously taking this hard no matter how hard he tried to seem cold and uncaring. "She's dead. She died." He clutched at the frame so tightly Diana was surprised his fingertips weren't bleeding. "I saw her dead body. I was at her funeral."

"She's _alive_," Whitney pushed, eyes narrowed. "I've seen her _twice_ now and both times she was wearing a protective bracelet, one which would conceal her very well. I thought she was a warlock because of it, shunned."

"I've seen her too," Diana whispered, seeing the way Lex just didn't want to believe them; how he clung to the belief that this Patricia woman wasn't his enemy now.

Greg reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet in question silently.

Lex saw it and his eyes widened as he collapsed onto his plush seat.

Diana felt bad for him for the first time since she'd known Lex, able to see in his eyes just how deeply this affected him, how it shook him to his core. There was pain and betrayal and confusion in those blue orbs.

Lex reached out and took the bracelet from Greg, dropping the picture frame as he eyed the jewelry in his hands numbly. "I gave this to her on her sixteenth birthday. When her magic awoke. She – she'd been worried about Witch-Hunters finding her and I told her that this would protect her, keep her hidden from anyone who she didn't want ever finding her. I buried her with this." He closed his eyes, bringing the piece of jewelry to his lips. "I can't believe she's still alive. Why would she – _what_?"

Moira and Gabe looked like they didn't know what to do now that Lex was apparently not the villain they would have liked him to be.

"Do you have any idea of who she's working for and where she would have taken Chloe? Why she'd even _want_ her?" Whitney wanted to know.

"No." Lex shook his head, opening his eyes, the blue now steel, no trace of emotion in them. "But it's the person responsible for the kidnapping and torture of my Circle members."

What was he talking about?

"It seems we have a common enemy." Lex stood, slamming his palms into the desk as he eyed them. "Let's crush them."

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"But you're supposed to be _dead_." Chloe shook hands with a dead woman, eyeing her in shock.

"If people without magic can fake their own deaths, why is it surprising that witches can as well?" Patricia asked a very good question.

"Because, well, other magical people should be able to sense the magic at work?" Chloe tried for a reason.

"Not if _magic_ per se wasn't at work, but a potion," Patricia replied. "It's a very _dangerous_ one, but it's effective in killing the mind and body for three days before resurrecting all bodily and mental functions once more." She rubbed her neck. "There are some permanent side effects from the use of that potion, but I can live with them." She eyed Chloe. "When you hit me, you were actually using it as a distraction to remove my bracelet, weren't you?"

Chloe gulped before nodding, head high. "I was being kidnapped."

"So you left breadcrumbs," Patricia sighed. "I'm guessing one of your Circle is a TouchSight."

Chloe nodded once more.

"So that means they probably already have a good idea of what's going on." She turned to Lucas. "Means he knows I'm alive and will find out about you soon enough."

"Well, since your old Circle mates somehow managed to escape, we knew this was being accelerated." He didn't seem quite as worried as he should be. "I'm ready to face him."

"You really aren't." She sighed, genuinely worried. "He's _strong,_ Lucas. And he has years over you. Also, he's the Firstborn son of the Patriarch, whom Lionel recognizes and will back against you."

"Not when he realizes that Lex has kept the Firstborn Balcoin from him." Lucas smirked. "Then he might think twice about backing his eldest son."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at them. "What I said before still stands. If this is some sort of pissing contest between you and Lex, keep me out of it. I'm not the Queen on the Chessboard."

Lucas sneered, shaking his head as he turned towards her. "You don't seem to get that I don't want to be a part of a family that never acknowledged me, despite knowing of my existence." He moved away from Patricia's side and moved closer to Chloe, eyes intense. "I have no desire to be a part of, or even _head_ the leading Luthor Circle or _any other_ Luthor Circle." He shoved his hands into his pockets and his gaze went to Mikhail before landing on Chloe, standing _way_ too close to her. "My loyalties have always been to the Balcoins and it always will be."

"Why?" Chloe could see the stark sincerity in his eyes and it shook her.

Lucas didn't answer directly, instead smiling slightly as he reached out and once again brushed a strand of blonde out of her face. "Your hair's unruly."

She raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "John Balcoin protected his children to the extent that he never even told us more than Mikhail's siblings' first name. He wouldn't even tell us which was the Firstborn or where they lived. He didn't even tell Mikhail. We only knew Mikhail wasn't the Firstborn, which was a relief really because if he had been, I think your family would be doomed."

Mikhail nodded serenely, apparently not insulted by that at all.

Chloe's eyes widened. "_What_?"

"Your _father_ was the one who visited me at the orphanage and told me who I was, _what_ I was." Lucas cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "He taught me all I know, all _everyone _here knows. And he said that should he die, I was to find you and protect you. That if his plan failed, I was the only other way to keep you from being my father's little slave." His hazels drifted up and down her body before smirking into her face. "It's a good thing too because if my father or brother are anything like me, you'd be spending that servitude in a slave Leia outfit."

Chloe blushed at the undertone of this conversation. "If you were a part of my father's Circle-"

"They weren't," Mikhail interrupted, flicking his hair out of his face. "Not officially. The Circle was always going to be only Balcoin children. But Balcoins have _always_ contracted outside help." He eyed her thoughtfully. "He had it all planned, but as we know, his plans didn't work out."

Chloe eyed her brother. "Why search for me?"

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You were apparently raised by him, the only one of his children he chose to keep and not let others raise." And damn it, she was somewhat resentful about that. "You must know so much – why not take over leadership yourself?"

At this, he chuckled, as did Lucas and the others.

Patricia sighed.

Chloe didn't get the reaction.

"I'm not – how do I put this?" Mikhail thought for a moment. "The thought of being leader is _tedious_."

Chloe blinked, not having expected this answer.

"You have to constantly be on top of things and solve problems, plan strategies for battles, work through the issues the people in your Circle have with each other and shit like that. It's just too much _work_." Mikhail made a face, almost disgusted at the thought of all that. "The power and position is just not worth the effort." He shivered slightly. "I prefer my more laid back lifestyle."

"In short, he's lazy as hell." Lucas snickered.

"I prefer to think of it as conserving my energy for when I'll really need it." Mikhail smirked.

"This makes no sense." Chloe looked between them. "You're not a Balcoin. John was going to kill every witch who _wasn't_ Balcoin."

"Not every witch." Patricia stepped forwards. "Only every witch who wasn't Balcoin – or _aligned_ to them."

Oh, wow. This was a twist.

"So is he alive?" Chloe finally asked.

Lucas and Mikhail shared a confused look.

Patricia took a curious step closer. "John Balcoin was killed by his other two daughters. You know this."

Guilt for doubting Diana swept through Chloe's body, but it was tinted with confusion. "So why have I seen him since?"

Mikhail frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She let it out, telling them about the notes, about what Greg's ability had shown them.

There was silence as everyone shared looks and then Lucas sighed, tilting his head to the side. "That's not John. He's dead. His magic was yanked out of him and into that crystal, that's how he died, we all felt it." He took in a deep breath. "What you saw was someone who was under a spell that John cast. Your Circle member who has TouchSight is so strong he's actually Seeing a _spell_."

Chloe was shocked silent by a lot of things, some of them she didn't even _want_ to process, pushing them back for now and concentrating on the issue at hand. "Shouldn't his spell have died on the guy once John himself died? And why would he spell a guy to write lame cryptic messages to me? It makes no sense."

"I never got _why_ John did what he did, only that he thought them necessary for some reason or another," Lucas admitted. "Maybe… maybe he wants you to find out who this other guy is. Maybe that was why he made it so that he'd keep bothering you and that way keep your interest on him. Maybe he's important somehow." He snapped his fingers and a pair of twins came forward. "Hans and Jean are the artists in our group, if you give them a description we can find out who this guy is for you and why John wanted you to find him."

Chloe eyed the twins before turning her gaze back to Mikhail when he sighed.

"And as to _why_ the spell is still working?" Mikhail eyed her. "It's because while our father is dead, his magic is very much alive in that crystal. It was _created_ to imprison our powers from us. If the ancient scripts can be believed, he isn't the first of our family who has had his power and life zapped by that crystal."

Chloe felt her world tilting as suddenly the truth of the matter hit her square in the face like a punch.

She didn't only have Francis Balcoin's magic trapped somewhere inside of her.

She had _John's_ as well!

Now the plural way of speaking when the magic had tried to tempt her made sense! She wasn't only listening to Francis' essence – but her father's too!

"I think the danger she's in is finally settling in." Patricia sighed. "We can't find what the Chance Harbor Circle has done with the crystal skull. It's still a danger to you and to every Balcoin alive."

They didn't know.

They – they didn't know that the weapon they were looking for was gone, disintegrated when the power within it had been absorbed by Adam. They didn't know that the power they spoke of was now inside of her, had made sure it would make its way to her, had somehow activated her instincts to siphon it out of Adam and into herself.

They didn't know she not only had her own Balcoin dark magic, but Francis and John's magics as well.

They didn't know _squat_.

She was going to be sick.

Mikhail's hand came down on her shoulder, his dark eyes narrowed on her face. "What is it?"

Chloe looked up at her brother, a little dizzy with the realization that she only had one more sibling to meet.

But she never got to say anything, because suddenly she was fading; vanishing, like a ghost.

And then she was gone.

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**TBC**


	43. A Game of Thrones (Part One)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Supernatural**

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Why the hell was Lex not answering his cellular?

Jason closed the door to the room where Oliver and Tess were sleeping. He had just gotten off of the phone with the doctor, who'd be there as soon as traffic would allow him. When the two had stumbled into the place looking less than stable, they'd collapsed on the ground and at first Jason had thought they were dead. Instead, they were fatigued from all they'd gone through.

And Davis was fighting the Quarantine room down below, making things even more stressful since his attacks were causing the whole building to shake.

Jason brought his phone to his ear, trying Lex once more.

That was when his phone's screen went black and trembled before an image began to transmit to him, causing hazel eyes to widen. "_Chloe_?"

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Diana was following behind the others as they stormed outside but faltered, bringing a hand to her head as a piercing pain rocked through her skull. She stumbled and might have fallen had two strong arms not reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders, straightening her and keeping her on her feet. The brunette cried out, turning towards Whitney, somehow knowing it was him as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder as the pain got worse.

Whitney was tense and obviously felt awkward but he kept his hands on her shoulders, his presence helping her ride out the worst of it.

Finally, when her head wasn't ringing and her ears popping, Diana pulled away enough to look up into Whitney's face, her own twisted in pain. "Something's happening to Chloe."

He nodded lifting his hand from her shoulder to show her his palm, the Hamsa glowing a multitude of colors and visibly throbbing. "I know."

That was when all the televisions in the house turned on simultaneously, volumes up to their highest, Chloe's voice resounding all around them.

Greg froze, eyes widening as he turned to face the closest sound. "Another Trial is starting."

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Chloe sat upon her throne, legs crossed, the upper shaking with her annoyance as she rested her cheek against a closed fist. Her hair was in an updo, a blood red gown adorned her body, her feet in boots and her fingernails were dark as they tapped impatiently against the throne's armrest. The necklace her father had given her when she'd come of age rested against her breast, out for all to see as she tried her best not to interrupt what was happening and just let it run its course.

"...and so I humbly beg that you..."

Okay, she wasn't a saint and there was only so much of this she could take.

"You don't get to humbly beg anything," the blonde interrupted, knowing the courts' eyes were on her as she stood from the throne, the long, Manticore fur coat slipping from her shoulders and cascading at her feet as she slowly made her way off the dais. "How many times have you come here, asking for advice or help?" She didn't let the person on her knees speak. "Have you listened to any advice I've given? Have you not heard what I have had to say in the past?" Once again, she didn't let the person talk, drawing closer. "Why should I entertain you when you only waste my time?"

"We are allies." Prunella Thoreaux rose to her feet. "The Hibbins and Thoreaux have-"

"But I'm not the leader of the _Hibbins_ clan, am I?" Chloe circled the older woman, eyeing her. "That would be my great grandmother who somehow has figured out how to live ridiculously long and yet look half her age; the conniving old woman." She tilted her head as she continued to circle Prunella. "This is the Balcoin Court and we do not entertain people lightly." She stopped circling to stand in front of Prunella. "You're reaching the end of my last strand of patience."

"_Why_ is she still breathing?" Mikhail asked in boredom as he leaned against her throne, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there. "Can't we just kill her? Be done with it?" He yawned. "There's a horse race I should be overseeing."

Chloe's lips twitched in amusement. "My brother thinks I should kill you."

"Our brother needs to stop equating killing people with a cure for boredom," Diana declared as she arrived, dressed in a long black gown, sending an unrepentant Mikhail a look. "The Thoreaux have proven to be useful to us in the past."

"But he _does_ have a point." Cassie was leaning against a window, dressed in blue, looking just as annoyed as Chloe felt. "She's done nothing but bother you, sister. She continuously comes for advice, but does not take it, and when the actions you warned her against insults another clan, she comes begging for some sort of backup in a battle we have no interest or stake in. She's a liability."

"My sisters are both correct, Prunella," Chloe commented boldly before her gaze went to where Pete was silently watching. "What do you think, brother?"

Pete made a face. "I believe the Thoreaux could be useful to us still."

"And that has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you wish to court Lana Thoreaux," Cassie sneered at him.

He glared at her.

Mikhail rolled his eyes, clearly bored out of his wits.

Diana made a face at the two contentious siblings. "This is not the time."

Chloe eyed her siblings before turning to Prunella. "Your aunt has angered the Luthor Circle with her workings, why is it that Isobel isn't here herself? Why send you? If she truly wanted our alliance in the battle her actions have promised, then she shouldn't insult us by sending her underling."

"I'm her trusted right hand woman." Prunella raised her chin. "I-"

"I won't talk to the messenger anymore." Chloe turned her back on the woman and walked up the dais once more before sitting on the throne, eyeing the woman below. "If Isobel truly wants our help, then let _her_ come and plead her position. If not, I have no loyalties to the Thoreaux, feel no particular love for your clan and have no reason why I shouldn't just offer your niece sanctuary in my walls for my brother's sake while the Luthor Circle destroys the rest of you."

Pete let out a little sigh of relief.

Prunella's expression hardened but she merely nodded and turned, leaving. The others in the court left as well leaving only the Balcoin children.

"Can I go now?" Mikhail wanted to know as the doors closed behind Prunella and the court, the guy still leaning against the blonde's throne.

Chloe sent him a look.

He sighed and straightened up. "I just don't see why I have to be here. You are our Matriarch, I shall agree with whatever you decide. You want us to stay out of the impending battle? Fine. You want us hip deep in it? Fine." He made a face. "I just want to oversee my horse races."

Chloe knew that despite the fact that she was trying to appear stern, her amusement was shining through.

It was obvious because Mikhail grinned before reaching down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Fine, I shall stay with you, little sister, and miss the first race."

"I'm your older sister," she grumbled through her growing amusement.

"But you're so _tiny_." So he kept reminding her.

"You need to be more serious in these circumstances," Cassie scolded him as she arrived up on the dais. "I won't have you making her look weak in front of others, especially not the Thoreaux; those power hungry cockroaches."

"Don't talk about them like that," Pete defended.

"They aren't even one of the Six," Cassie snapped at him. "The fact that they feel they have a place amongst us is sickening." She took a step towards him. "The disrespect that clan has been showing ours, the blatant disregard their leader has been bestowing on _our sister_, is infuriating and I say our sister should let them pay for it. Let others see what happens when they don't take the Balcoin Matriarch seriously." She clenched her fists. "Are you not loyal to our sister? Do we have to worry you'll turn traitor?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Pete snapped back. "All I'm saying is that not _all_ of the Thoreaux clan are like Isobel and Prunella and shouldn't have to suffer because of their pride."

"And _we_ shouldn't suffer because of theirs." Cassie raised her chin. "We shouldn't fight one of the Six because of the Thoreaux." She turned to Chloe. "What do you think on the matter, sister?"

Chloe merely stared ahead of her, deep in thought.

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"Why can't I get through to her?" Diana whispered, her head hurting even more. "I got through without even trying – without knowing I was! So why can't I get through this time?"

"Maybe you're not the real Eye." Moira raised an eyebrow.

Gabe frowned at his wife. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Maybe Chloe doesn't trust her enough for it to work." Greg raised an eyebrow.

Diana flinched as if hit.

"That's not it." Whitney was standing next to Diana, eyes on the television screen. "I can't feel her anymore." His gaze went to Diana. "This has nothing to do with her not trusting you. Even if she shouldn't, I don't think she would ever really distrust you the way she should."

Diana looked up at him in frustration. "I told them about her situation, and I know it's wrong, but that shouldn't be enough for you to think that she shouldn't trust me!"

"That's not what this is about." Greg threw his hands in the air. "She doesn't give a shit about that, although I think she should."

"Then what _is_ this about?" Diana narrowed her eyes, shocked at the fact that there was more to this.

Whitney's gaze went to where Lex was observing them sharply. "Not now."

And even though Diana really wanted to know what they were talking about, she could get why they weren't doing so now, so she only just looked away and nodded.

Still, her mind was working a mile a minute.

If this wasn't about her telling the Chance Harbor Circle about Chloe's situation...

Then what the hell was going on?

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"The tournament is in full swing. Shouldn't you be there cheering the contestants on?"

Chloe turned towards the voice and raised an eyebrow at the man there. "I made an appearance, I placed a bet and I left everything in Mikhail's hands. He's more than capable to deal with that as these tournaments and games are his efforts of love."

"Seems more like he just made sure he was good at something he didn't actually have to use physical labor for." That smirk was in place as Lucas eyed her. "If your father were alive, he'd have forced Mikhail to take a more active role. You're spoiling him."

"Nonsense. I find these tournaments and games of his not only entertaining, but useful. We get a lot of our information from those participating." Chloe denied any such allegations. "And anyway, should my father be alive he'd be the Patriarch and I doubt the Thoreaux would be as... Cheeky... As they've proven to be." She frowned, going to the window and gazing outside at the merriment and cheers. "They doubt that I'm strong enough to rule in my father's stead."

"We could make an example of the messenger," Lucas offered. "Make sure when she arrives, whatever part of her does, sends a clear message to Isobel."

"So you believe like Cassie; that we should make an example of Prunella." Chloe sighed, hugging herself as she continued to stare out. "I can see the appeal – she _is_ an annoying woman."

"Are we talking about Prunella?" Greg asked, appearing with Whitney at his side, the two dressed similarly to Lucas. "Are we killing her then?"

"I thought you favored her." Whitney raised an eyebrow at his companion. "And her low cut neckline."

Greg smirked. "She does have her charms."

"No one is to touch Prunella, or any Thoreaux, unless I've expressly detailed how they are to be treated." Chloe eyed her elite knowing they'd do as commanded and make sure the others did as well. "I'm not even sure if I will want anything done at all. If you ask me, a battle between Thoreaux and Luthor would be beneficial to me. Let them decimate each other's numbers while we grow stronger."

"Your mother's family is tied to the Thoreaux Circle," Whitney reminded.

"So is my father's family," Greg reminded Whitney. "But my father was killed because of the Thoreaux pride and my mother is already residing safely within Balcoin walls and under their protection." He raised his chin. "I won't be the last to defect."

Whitney nodded before his blues rested on Chloe, still waiting for her answer.

"The Hibbins can't be forced into a war if they don't want to be." And yet she clenched her fists, refusing to show any worry, any weakness. "They've played a part in this situation themselves and will need to face the consequences of their actions." She took in a deep breath. "I will offer sanctuary to any of those in their Circle who wish not to fight in the upcoming battle. That is more than my father would have done."

"There's a reason _why_ we serve your court while we didn't serve our father's," a voice declared from the shadows as Cassie appeared, the hem of her blue gown swishing as she drew nearer. "I'm surprised Diana isn't here with Peter talking about diplomacy and how we should rebuild the bridges our ancestors burnt firmly to the ground."

"I believe Diana and Pete are out there, enjoying the games." Chloe couldn't see them outside though.

Cassie sighed as she reached her side. "Sister, you know my stance on this subject, but you know I'll support whatever you decide."

"I know." Chloe smiled, bringing her hand to rest on Cassie's shoulder. "And I appreciate it greatly."

Cassie gave her a small smile, obviously pleased with this.

Trent appeared, bowing in the doorway before moving to Lucas and whispering in his ear.

Lucas' eyes narrowed as he turned to Chloe. "Alexander Luthor has arrived and wishes an audience with you."

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Jason was very confused with what he was seeing on his phone's screen.

What was with the period costumes and the whole scenario?

He watched as Chloe, flanked by her blonde sister and her guards (one who he didn't recognize), arrived at the throne room and readied themselves before Lex Luthor, Davis, and... Jason... entered, all dressed as royalty would back in the day, much like Chloe and her siblings.

The sandy blonde let out a long sigh as he stared at himself.

This was just getting too freaky.

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"My Lord, what an unexpected visit." Chloe kept her face neutral as she sat upon the throne, legs crossed, her body language conveying boredom with a hint of reproach. "Had I known the heir of the Luthor clan was making house visits, I would have had something prepared and waiting for you."

"Your reproach is understandable; it _is_ rude to arrive unannounced." Lex nodded, lips slightly curved as he stood tall. "But I'm sure you already know the situation we are in and that time is of the essence in times of war."

She merely tilted her head slightly as she eyed him, waiting for him to continue.

"I value your friendship too much to beat around the bush." Lex stepped closer. "I have come here personally to ask you to stay out of the impending war that my clan and the Thoreaux clan are about to embark on."

"Is that so?" She continued to eye him. "And why should we? Because you want us to?" She straightened in her seat, eyes flashing. "Do the Luthors believe the Balcoins their lapdogs that they can issue out commands which we must obey?"

"Hardly," Lex smirked. "Your youth might fool others into believing that Balcoin is ripe for the picking, but Luthors are not so easily deceived." His gaze went to those with her. "Especially not when we know first hand of your ability to just bat your eyelashes and have men desert their clans to joins yours."

"So you accuse me of foul seduction." She raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "'Tis no accusation." He motion to Jason and Davis. "At this moment, I can feel their desire."

Chloe stood from her throne, tiny compared to the men there as she moved towards them, not at all intimidated. "I have not used any enchantment on your men, My Lord."

Word must have reached Diana and Pete about Luthor's arrival because they slipped in through the back, silent.

Mikhail even arrived, despite his distaste for these sorts of activities.

Lex ignored them, blues on her as she drew closer. "I have no doubt, My Lady." He reached out and placed his hands on both Jason and Davis' shoulders. "My men merely see what I do, a beautiful woman."

She moved closer to Lex. "Flattery, Mr Lord, will get you nowhere with me." She knew not to let him use the men as distractions, as he was obviously trying to, focusing solely on Lex. "You say that you wish not to beat around the bush and yet you have yet to come out and admit that the real reason why you have come here is because I have blood ties to the Thoreaux Circle and not with the Luthor Circle. To many, blood is much thicker than water, especially when it comes to bloodshed." Her eyes flashed. "Do not try to play games with me, nor try to flatter me or distract me with your good looking soldiers. As you see, I am surrounded by beautiful faces and bodies; I've learned to be blind to such things."

Lex was silent as he let his hands fall to his side, his smile growing somewhat twisted. "As expected, you see to the root of the issue."

"As expected." She nodded in agreement. "I also know that you're not here only to discuss this impending quibble between yourself and Isobel's clan, but that you have come with a proposition to make. Lord Lionel wants to even out the playing field and try to secure not only an alliance with the house of Balcoin, but future power for his own clan."

"Tis true." Lex nodded. "I have come here with an offer of marriage from the Luthor clan to the Balcoin, to tie our families forever and cement a true brotherhood between us."

Cassie and Diana exchanged nervous looks.

Pete frowned.

Mikhail looked a little less bored.

"And who would this proposed marriage take place between?" Chloe wanted to know, having known this would happen. "Because if rumors are true, you are engaged to Lady Patricia Swan, so I highly doubt we are speaking of _your_ marriage."

"My sister, Lutessa." Lex nodded. "We wish to wed her to a son of Balcoin."

"What does _Lutessa_ wish?" Chloe eyed him.

Lex paused.

Davis and Jason exchanged looks.

"Lutessa is a daughter of Luthor and, as such, knows that she must do what our father commands of her," Lex finally answered.

"I see." Chloe nodded, turning and going back up the dais before sitting upon her throne. "Before even contemplating something like this, I'd speak to the proposed bride tonight without the presence of her sire or brother."

"This offer-" Lex tried.

"If I accepted the offer, it would be an outright sign of whose side my clan will support, if at all, and should it be Luthors, I would be turning my back on my blood, My Lord." Chloe stopped him straight. "Surely you do not truly expect me to make such a decision on a _whim_ just because it is convenient for _you_?"

He thought it over before shaking his head with a sigh. "Of course not. I will send for my sister."

"Lucas, Whitney, Greg, please show our guests to their rooms." Chloe never looked away from Lex even as he bowed and followed her men out, leaving the girl once more with only her siblings.

Once they were sure that the others were gone, Diana let out a breath. "For a moment, I thought he was going to have the nerve of proposing to _you_."

"Luthor is too smart to think that we'd give them our leader." Cassie shook her head at that. "But I _was_ worried _you or I _would have to marry him, or his brother."

"I will not marry Lutessa Luthor." Pete turned to Chloe, nearly rebelliously. "I do not love her. Don't ask me to marry her. Give her to Mikhail."

"Why are we punishing her?" Cassie gave a little crack.

Mikhail snorted, highly amused with Cassie. "_You_ are a brat." He then turned to Chloe. "Not to be mutinous like our brother-"

"I wasn't being _mutinous_!" Pete gasped.

"-but I am in my prime at the moment." Mikhail completely ignored Pete's input. "Do you know the _effort_ a marriage is? I do not think I am ready for that sort of commitment."

Chloe ignored both of her brothers, still gazing at the door. "Diana, have the servants know a feast is to be celebrated tonight to commemorate the visit of Lutessa Luthor to Balcoin Castle. It is to be a grand event." She turned to Cassie. "Double the guard, make sure that only our most trusted are in attendance." Green orbs went to Mikhail. "Do make sure this secret is spread, that the people know a Luthor-Balcoin marriage is proposed and make sure it reaches the ears we want it to." She then turned to Pete. "You _will_ do whatever you need to do for the best of our clan and this family, just as we all have. Is that understood?"

Pete stared at her before sighing and nodding, head lowered. "Of course."

"Good." Chloe licked her lips as she stood from her throne. "It's time to begin."

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**TBC**


	44. A Game of Thrones (Part Two)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Supernatural**

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"My Lady."

Chloe paused as she walked down the halls, servants hurrying around to prepare for the night's festivities, the blonde turning towards the male who'd called out to her. "Mr Bloome." She eyed him as he drew nearer.

He paused before her, staring down into her face. "I had hoped that the next time we would see each other would be under better circumstances, not with the threat of battle looming over us."

Chloe continued to stare up at him. "It _is_ unfortunate."

"I-" He moved to raise his hand and caress her cheek and yet stopped himself at the last second before actually touching her, gulping as he lowered his hands. "I apologize for not being present to convey my condolences on the passing of your father. By the time I returned from my mission, you had already left the Luthor court and had taken the mantle of leadership." He cleared his throat. "It is with greatest sorrow that it has taken me this long to convey my sadness for his passing."

Chloe had never really known what to make of Davis Bloome. Ever since she was six years old, her father had sent her out, spending her summer months in the courts of Six, a different one each summer, alternating so that she could understand the differences in their courts and be better able to cooperate with them and the new leaders whenever she would take her father's place. The Luthor castle had always been one of her favored places to be; the court lively, the women cunning, and the men ruthless – and handsome. She'd grown to understand the Luthor men in general, but some of the other members of their court were not so easily understood. Davis Bloome had always been one of them. He'd always been quiet when she'd pass with Lutessa, always watching, always there with a gentle smile yet far from gentle gaze. "I accept your condolences."

"I-" Davis stepped closer, licking his lips as he finally raised his hand to her cheek. "You grow lovelier every time I behold you."

Chloe frowned as she eyed him. Many years ago she'd thoughtlessly Enthralled Davis when Alexander had greatly annoyed her, and while it was long ago and only once, sometimes she wondered if somehow traces of it mightn't remain inside of the dark haired man. It was the only reason why he would be so persistent when she showed no inclination towards him, merely courteousness. "Mr Bloome, _please_." She placed her hand on his and gently removed it from her cheek, letting it drop away from her as she took a step back. "Your actions are highly inappropriate, but I will overlook the over-familiarity. You merely meant to compliment me and I shall take it as such, but please refrain from touching me in the future."

Davis' hand clenched at his side. "Pardon my disrespect."

"I understand that none was intended," she assured him, giving him a small smile before letting her features go blank. "But my guards or brothers might not understand the same."

The hands he had clenched were trembling with the force of his clenching. "It is understandable. They protect their Queen until she can find herself a King to do so."

"I am not a _Queen_, Mr Bloome. Merely a leader." Chloe raised her chin, eyebrow raised. "And I do _not_ need a husband to protect me."

With that, she turned and walked away, feeling his gaze on her back.

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"What happened?" Lucas snapped as they looked around them, unable to understand what they'd seen – how could she have disappeared the way she had? "Where is she?"

Patricia's eyes widened. "It couldn't have started already, could it?"

"What?" Brent wanted to know. "What couldn't have started?"

Mikhail ran his fingers through his hair. "Her Trials."

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A door opened and a hand reached out, grabbing her and pulling her into the room. The door was slammed shut and Chloe found herself pushed against it, a body pinning her against the wood, a smirk visible in the dimness of the darkened room. The room was shadowed greatly and yet she didn't need light to know the identity of the man who had yanked her into this room and was imprisoning her with his own body against hers. She knew that outline, recognized the smell of his skin, the curve of his lips.

"This is _highly_ inappropriate beha-"

He kissed her, deep and hard and pressed her harder into the door as he did so.

Chloe whimpered, pushing him away enough to slap him hard enough to swing his head with the blow, the sound echoing throughout the room.

Lex merely turned his head towards her and smirked deeper as he slammed both his palms on either side of her head. "Now, is that any way to treat me after being unable to see me for so long?"

Chloe smirked back at him. "If I do recall correctly, you _like_ it when I hit you." She leaned harder against the door and tilted her head back so she could look up into his face earlier. "You truly are an odd creature, My Lord, to enjoy such abuse."

Lex chuckled darkly, leaning down to kiss her again before pulling away enough to stare into her face. "How have you been?"

"The duties I have been raised for are not too hard for me to handle, if that is your question." She squared her jaw, all amusement gone. "And I am not just the daughter of the head of the Balcoin clan anymore, Alexander. You can not just think that you can pull me into rooms and have your wicked way with me." She placed her hand on his chest and pushed, sending him skidding backwards a couple of steps.

"That did not seem to bother you before," he pointed out, straightening his clothes.

"I wasn't in charge of my whole clan before," she reminded, straightening her own clothes. "I do not have time to play games with you anymore."

"Games." He gave a dark chuckle. "Is _that_ what you call our plans to run away together? To leave our families and duties behind? To _be_ together?"

She flinched, looking away from him. "Those were the whims of a fanciful child."

"Had news of your father's passing not reached you that night, we would have escaped in the morning hours and left, as we promised each other," Lex whispered.

Chloe's eyes closed as her fists clenched. "You do not know that."

"Yes, I do."

She gulped, telling herself to remember her clan, her family. "What is past is past and you have obviously moved on." Greens opened and Chloe raised her chin. "I congratulate you on the engagement. Patricia is truly a sweet woman, and I say that with sincerity."

"That ring should be on _your_ finger." His tone was soft but furious. "You have condemned us to this fate."

"I have made my sacrifices for the betterment of this clan, of my family, just as each Soul before me." Chloe gulped, telling her voice not to quiver, for her to be strong. "I do not regret them." She turned to leave, hand on the handle when she felt him behind her. His hand slammed against the door, keeping it shut, the other encircling her waist and keeping her against him as he merely stood there, breathing in the scent of her hair.

Chloe gulped, closing her eyes tightly as she rested her forehead against the door, telling herself to be strong. As the head of the Balcoin clan, she couldn't be with Lex. He was to be the head of the Luthor clan and it would cause too much turmoil as one of them would end up leaving their own clan to be with the other, and in the end they'd hate the other for it. They'd also cause a divide amongst the Six that nothing would ever be able to repair. The Six needed to remain strong if the magical community was to remain strong. And for that, they had to continue the way they always had; the heads never mixing, keeping their families and clans, their lineage, separate and strong.

Lex tightened his grip on her and pressed a soft kiss against the curve of her neck.

Chloe's face twisted with her inner agony as she allowed herself to place her hand on the one he had around her, two stray tears making their way down her cheeks.

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Jason stared at his screen, unable to understand what he was seeing. It was just _so wrong_. He'd never seen Lex like this, so openly vulnerable as he held onto Chloe as if his life depended on her, and while Jason was sure this was all some sort of delusion like the Boogey Man trial, he still couldn't stand it. It shocked him how much he hated it. The Davis bit had annoyed him, but it hadn't really worried or made him uncomfortable, not like this scene.

Just the fact that there was so much emotion coming from Lex proved that this wasn't really him, wasn't really happening, and yet Jason was pretty sure that that was Chloe – or at least her subconscious form. Did this mean she had some sort of attraction to Lex? He didn't understand the whole story with whatever was happening, but he could read the subtext and the way they acted-

A cracking sound jarred him from his thoughts, those hazels widening as he realized that he was nearly crushing his phone with his grip. He loosened it and took in a deep breath, reminding himself that this wasn't real and instead cooled down enough to continue watching.

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Lex Luthor watched with an emotionless expression the happenings from the many screens that'd been taken over by the images of what he expected was another Trial Chloe was going through. The subject matter was a little confusing, especially this latest happenings, but he didn't react, merely watching despite the unease he could sense in everyone at the scene between his alternate version and Chloe's subconscious manifestation.

Folding his arms over his chest, Lex ignored their sideways glances and continued to watch.

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"I am sorry for your pain," Chloe whispered before opening the door and slipping out, closing it behind her, grateful for the fact that there was no one around. She wiped at her eyes, taking in deep breaths to calm herself and reign in her emotions. When she'd told Pete he would have to make sacrifices for the betterment of their family, of their clan, she'd been speaking from experience. It hurt a little, having Alexander here and knowing Patricia wore his ring, and yet she'd been genuine when she'd said she liked Patricia. If anyone should marry Lex, it should be her.

Walking away from Lex, and not for the first time, Chloe found her father's instructions truly serving their purpose. John Balcoin had prepared her for every situation he could have ever contemplated her going through, and being in love with someone who was bad for her clan was one of them. His teachings were ever present in her mind and Chloe knew she could prove herself to her people, her siblings, and herself. She _could_ lead the Balcoins despite being so unusually young. This was a role she'd been born for, trained for, and she was ready.

"Sister." Cassie turned the corner, walking with determination as she joined her. "It is as you've ordered. Everything is going as you commanded."

Chloe nodded, eager to put more distance between her and the door behind which stood Alexander Luthor. "What news of the arrival?"

"Imminent," Cassie declared. "We've received ravens from the outlining posts. Lutessa Luthor should be in the castle within the hour." She smiled. "Diana says we shall be ready to greet her." That smile turned to a smirk. "Mikhail has actually done his part as well. Everything should be in place."

"Good." Chloe nodded, lifting her hand and placing it on Cassie's shoulder as they continued walking. "Everything needs to go without a hitch."

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Diana had to admit that she was a little surprised at the fact that Cassie was featuring so much in this fantasy of Chloe's, and that the two of them did not share the relationship they currently did. If anything, they seemed very close with Cassie constantly searching out their older sister and trailing behind her, almost like a puppy seeking approval. Was this a subconscious yearning of Chloe's? To be closer to the other blonde Balcoin? Or was this something else showing Chloe that Cassie would be useful to her should she gain her trust and loyalty?

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"My Lady Lutessa, you have welcomed me so many times in the past to your court, now let me finally introduce you to mine." Chloe reached out and smiled at the woman, whose face was completely veiled.

"Thank you for inviting my presence, Lady Chloe," Lutessa replied, motioning to a man in a mask beside her. "This is my guardian Oliver."

Chloe nodded to the other man in Lex's Circle before turning to her siblings. "My sisters, whom I have spoken to you of in the past: Diana and Cassandra. My brothers: Mikhail and Peter."

"And your other brother is not in attendance?" Lutessa asked curiously.

"No, he isn't." Chloe shook her head, although for the life of her she couldn't remember why he wasn't there, or truly even picture her brother, which worried her for a second but she shook it off to nerves, stress and the fact that she had many siblings. "Peter, please escort Lutessa."

"Of course, t'would be my pleasure." Pete, for his part, gave Lutessa a small smile as he reached for her hand, bringing it to his in a kiss before looping it around his and turning to look at Chloe.

Mikhail offered his sister his arm, and when she slipped her arm through his, they led the group into the castle.

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"Whatever this is, it's drawings its information from Chloe's mind," Lex announced, finally breaking the silence in the room.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Gabe wanted to know.

"Because she doesn't know what my sister or Oliver look like," Lex replied, blue eyes never leaving the scene. "It's why their faces are covered and why the sixth sibling isn't in attendance."

"That doesn't make any sense." Moira glared at him. "There's an extra sibling there, the lazy one. She doesn't know him so this can not be something that is coming from her mind."

"On the contrary. The only true new additions are Mikhail, Lucas and the other character who obviously was a subordinate of Lucas'." Lex sneered, unable to understand how they didn't see it. "Chloe was kidnapped before this Trial started."

Greg's eyes widened. "You think they're a part of the Circle that kidnapped her!"

"That would mean that..." Whitney paused.

Diana spoke, watching the handsome boy with dark hair escort Chloe to her seat in the exquisite dining hall. "He's really our brother."

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The festivities were underway and Chloe watched those around her while maintaining a guise of merriness.

Alexander was just as good at pretending as she was, knocking goblets with Mikhail and commenting on the tournament that'd taken place that evening.

At his side sat Lutessa and Oliver, the male silent, the female listening to whatever it was Pete spoke to her of, the veil hiding her true reactions to his words.

Davis and Jason drank and spoke to Diana and Cassie, Jason with a hint of mischief on his face, Davis with shadows dancing over his. Diana was doing her best and charming the men while Cassie, while friendly, was obviously not paying the conversation a hundred percent of her attention. The blonde's gaze continuously searched the room as if seeking for someone.

Lucas and his men kept guard, the young leader ignoring Lex and his group resolutely.

"Can I just say that the fact that you've left me _refilling_ goblets has me particularly unhappy?" a voice mumbled as liquid poured into her goblet.

Chloe's lips twitched but she didn't look behind her at her mouthy maid in waiting. "It's your job to do so and you wanted it, or are you saying that you'd prefer not to work for me any longer?"

"It would not be so bad if I just had to do it for you like usual, but having to tend to the others just like any of the other _normal_ maids..." And if there was something Faye Chamberlain didn't like, it was being considered on the same level as the other "help" in the Balcoin Castle. The brunette enjoyed the elevated status of being the personal maid in waiting to the head of the clan and the position it afforded her. "If another drunken man tries to smack my bottom I'm going to turn him into a frog."

"Stop complaining." Chloe eyed the contents of her glass. "I want to be here just as much as you do."

"Yes, well, then I have good news for the _both_ of us." Faye held the pitcher close to her as she continued to whisper softly. "Whitney's sent word. He said the ravens have arrived. It's happening just as you predicted it would."

Chloe's lips curved in a smirk as she took a sip of her drink. "How soon?"

"According to Whitney? Imminent," Faye replied, the smirk obvious in her tone. "Shall I retire from the room and make sure that everything's ready?"

"Be swift about it." Chloe nodded, eyeing the drink in her goblet. "This might give me the opportunity to find a less mouthy maid."

Faye snorted, not at all worried about her position being usurped as she excused herself.

Chloe chuckled to herself, still gazing at the liquid in her goblet, anticipating the upcoming events and knowing that everything would rest on exactly how this turned out.

Diana's gaze turned to her, questioningly.

Chloe gave her sister a barely visible nod.

Cassie noticed the exchange, a smirk tilting her lips as she finally turned her attention to whatever Jason was saying.

Chloe's gaze went to Mikhail and Pete, former keeping the other busy and preoccupied.

The door opened and Greg appeared, making his way towards her as he leaned over, whispering so only she could hear. "It is time."

Chloe nodded, putting down her goblet. "Show them in."

Greg straightened and motioned to the men at the doors, the guards opening them, drawing the attention of those in the dining hall.

Lex's eyes narrowed as he stood. "What's the meaning of this?"

"My Lady Chloe, allow me to apologize for this short notice – but when I received word of the _horrid_ job Prunella made of her visit, I knew I had to come myself to atone for her mistakes." Countess Marguerite Isobel Thoreaux gave a half bow as she strode into the room, flanked by members of her Circle and family, dressed for festivities.

Lana's hazels sought out Pete, a worried expression on her face when he wouldn't meet her gaze. Her two companions, Clark and Melissa, shared looks yet didn't say anything.

"You interrupt our festivities." Lex glared at the Countess. "We are celebrating the future union of Lutessa Luthor and Peter Balcoin. You are not welcome."

Lana's face went horribly pale.

Pete lowered his head.

"I see." Isobel raised an eyebrow. "Then I fear I have no choice but to invoke _concilium delibero_."

Chloe kept her face emotionless, fighting the smile that wished to form.

"Under what grounds?" Lex snarled.

Isobel opened to mouth, no doubt to antagonize Alexander further.

Chloe stood, drawing their attention to her and staying Isobel's words. "The grounds do not matter, _concilium delibero_ has been invoked and as representatives of the Six, we're obliged to answer it."

Lex sat down, a scowl on his features, but he was unable to deny her words.

Isobel smirked, obviously feeling that she had the upper hand.

Chloe let the older woman believe that; let the proud head of the Thoreaux clan continue to be ignorant of the fact that she'd done exactly as Chloe had predicted she would and that everything was going according to the Balcoin leader's plans.

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**TBC**


	45. A Game of Thrones (Part Three)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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The festivities had been adjourned, the guests dismissed. Instead, now only those involved, as well as the Balcoin guards, found their way to the throne room. Chloe sat upon her majestic throne on the dais, her siblings sitting in smaller yet grand thrones on lower platforms, ordered by their age. The sixth throne was not in attendance as the sixth brother wasn't, but no one commented or even noticed it.

On one side of the room, thrones for the Luthor heads appeared and on the opposite side thrones for the Thoraeux heads did as well.

"As you were the one to invoke the _concilium delibero_, Countess, it is only fair that you start us off." Chloe gazed down at them from her throne, a scepter on her lap as she eyed those below. "You can begin by explaining why you've invoked our convocation."

Isobel stood with a flourish, head raised and a smile on her face. "I invoked _concilium delibero_ due to my worry for the magical community as a whole." She sent the Luthor side a little glare before turning to fully eye Chloe. "When news of a proposed marriage between the Balcoin and Luthor family reached my ears, I can not explain the horror that filled my soul at the thought of the danger to the magically community such a venture would create!" She fanned herself with her hand, feigning nerves, when Chloe knew she was coldly calculating her every move, her every word. "The Six have always remained separate, and for good reason. Should one family grow weak the magic that affects us all will grow weak. I fear the thought of what would happen should one of the Six be destroyed!"

"Then you have nothing to fear," Lex drawled, far from impressed with her theatrics. "The Six are strong and will remain that way no matter what little upstart thinks he or she can do to change that."

Annoyance flashed over her orbs yet Isobel kept her gaze on Chloe. "Intermarriage between the Six has always been handled with the utmost care and never taken lightly. _Never_ have individuals so high on the totem poles been even been allowed to _consider_ the notion of marrying another from the Six."

"Are you calling the Luthor and Balcoin clans careless, Isobel?" Chloe refrained from using her title to prove her annoyance despite the evenness of her voice.

Isobel flinched before raising her chin higher. "Of course not, My Lady Chloe, but I fear that the Luthor court is using your youth to their advantage. Surely your father-"

"My father would have cut you down where you stood for such assumptions of ineptitude, Isobel," Chloe interrupted, voice like steel. "Be _glad_ that it is not _he_ whom you stand before."

Isobel gulped before clearing her throat. "I meant no disrespect."

"Of course not. You mean only the best for us all." Chloe's voice was monotone, her facial expressions mute as she continued to eye the older woman. "That _is_ the reason why you have invoked such a sacred thing as the _concilium delibero _– for the good of all – just as it's supposed to be done."

"Of course," Isobel agreed, nodding.

"I understand your wariness. As you say, marriage between the Six has always been handled with a certain finesse, but it _has_ occurred that siblings with no chance of ruling, or very little chance of it, have been allowed to marry." Chloe eyed the much older woman. "Pete is the fifth of my six siblings; the chances of him ruling as the First are _very_ unlikely."

"But Miss Luthor is _third_ in succession," Isobel pointed out rightly. "She has a much higher chance than your brother."

Lex snorted. "Believe me, Countess, I do not plan on dying any time soon."

"You never know what should happen in the future, My Lord." Isobel raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunate accidents are known to happen every day."

"I could say the same to you." Lex smirked.

Chloe watched the two of them, able to _feel_ the dislike between them, before tapping her scepter's end on the floor, drawing their attentions back to her. "This convocation is _not_ to be sullied with underhanded threats of violence. Honor it, the _both_ of you." They looked away from the other, yet were both visibly unhappy. "Let us get to the point of the real reason the _concilium delibero_ was invoked, Countess. It was because, as Prunella has let everyone know, a war is threatening to break out between the Thoreaux clan and that of the Luthors and you, Countess, felt secure that should the Balcoins take a side, it would be yours due to my relationship to your Circle through my mother." She tilted her head to the side as she eyed the woman who was opening and closing her mouth. "But once word of a possible marriage between the Luthor and Balcoin clans emerged, a marriage _so prominent_, you realized that any little advantage you might have would be obliterated and if you were to stand a chance in this war of your making then you would have to find a way to contest the validity of this marriage."

Isobel opened her mouth.

"The only way you knew that you could do so, since otherwise you'd have no say in the business of the Six, would be to call upon the ancient invocation of _concilium delibero_ where we are magically bound to convene with those who are not of the Six and listen to their pressing issues. It can only be called upon for the greater good of the magical community as a whole; it cannot be abused for personal gain and can only be invoked by a witch not of the Six." Chloe trapped her fingers against the armrest. "So you'd have to find a way to make this potential marriage detrimental to the magical community as a whole, which is why you bring up the issue of marriage between the Six when you know the only ones not allowed to marry another within the Six are the heads, or heirs to the heads."

Isobel closed her mouth.

Lex shook his head, smiling ugly at Chloe. "You expected this to happen. We all played into your hands."

Chloe smiled serenely. "How else was I going to get the two of you bound into a convocation where we're physically unable to leave until the issues are completely resolved? I'm one of the Six; _I_ can not invoke _concilium delibero_. Our siblings do not wish to wed; it is more than obvious and I care too much for the both of them to force them into a loveless union only enforced to cement ties in a war I want nothing to do with." Her gaze was bored as a sigh escaped her lips. "So since I do not have the ability to invoke the _concilium delibero_, I orchestrated events so that the Countess would."

"You used me," Isobel hissed, color rising up her neck. "How _dare_ you-!"

"I did not put a blade to your neck," Chloe interrupted, cold as ice. "And I am not the one causing the grief." She narrowed her harsh greens on Isobel. "You speak about caring about the magical community, you claim you worry about our shared magic should one of the Six weaken, and yet with your actions, you say otherwise. You are courting war with the Luthor clan and trying to use my connection with your Circle to force the Balcoin clan to turn on another Six – which, if it comes to a true war, could end in the Luthor's clan, destroying them completely."

"Or the Balcoin clan." Lex snorted.

The blonde ignored that, snorting at the very thought. "_This_ is the true threat to the magical community as a whole and we will not be given the ability to leave this throne room until it has been resolved." Chloe tightened her grip on her scepter. "So I would sit down if I were you, Countess. This is going to be a _very_ long convocation."

Isobel clenched her fists at her sides, clearly furious, and yet did as told.

Chloe eyed the two warring clans and smirked as she touched fingers over her chest. "Now, let's officially start at the beginning; to the reason this dispute came about in the first place."

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Lex couldn't keep the smirk from tilting his lips as he watched this girl manipulate and connive with the best of them. He hadn't understand at first, didn't know the rules, but now he had a very good idea of what was going on. He'd heard of the _concilium delibero_, but it was hardly ever used anymore, the ancient rite last used in the medieval times.

From what he understood of the Trials, they were to prove Chloe's worthiness to be the Soul of the Balcoin family. She'd had different tests so far, all related to her family and magic. There'd been the recalling of the stolen magic within Adam Conant, the control of the magic inside of her when Francis Balcoin's essence had taken over and also the ability to control Francis Balcoin's throne room. The very one this scene was playing out in, although it was much more majestic than it had been in her previous tests.

Now… Now, this was a different sort of test.

Francis Balcoin had lived during the medieval times and he was the one who'd created the Trials for his Firstborns so that no weak and undeserving child would ever take over the leadership of his clan, his family. Chloe had already proven that she had those who would fight for her, had proven that she could handle the magic within her, had shown she could command the room Francis Balcoin once had...

What was being tested now wasn't her body or cohorts or magic.

What was being tested was her _mind_.

She'd been given a scenario that Francis Balcoin no doubt would have gone through, given the training/information she would have received had she lived in this situation and been raised to take over the clan, and was being left to see how she would handle the situation. It was gauging her intellect, her cunning, her ruthlessness – and her bond to her family. It was why he was in the fantasy as a lover. Not only was Chloe's way of handling the hostile situation between the Luthors and Thoreaux being tested, but also if she'd put her own feelings over her clan's well being.

It was so incredibly, diabolically _fascinating_.

Especially since she really had no idea this was a test. It was obvious that her mind had been manipulated to believe this lie of an existence (which was why Diana wasn't allowed to get through to her – wasn't allowed to ruin the fantasy) and Chloe was acting like, well, like a snake. It was almost as if he could see that winged serpent outlined behind her as she listened to both the Thoreaux and Luthor side of the argument and their claims.

For the first time, Lex forgot she was the Firstborn promised to his family's Circle and actually really watched her in action.

She had the potential to be _so great_.

And what if it was true? The idea that if one of the Six families fell, then the rest of the magical community did?

The Balcoins were nearly extinct, it was true, and the Luthors were slowly only just getting back their previous, glorious strength. Lex could remember when it'd slowly begun to come back, remembered his parents. It'd been many years ago. Probably around sixteen or seventeen years ago. Around the time this girl would have been born. Around the time her siblings would have.

Lex narrowed his eyes.

What if this really _was_ the truth? What if – if the Balcoins fell – then the whole magical community would as well?

There had to be a reason the last remnants had been hidden so preciously.

Had to be a reason for why, when his parents had found out John was still alive, they'd worked with him despite the problems the Luthors and Balcoins had had in the past. The Firstborn child would have been just a bonus his father would have milked out of the deal, out of John's desperation.

Lex eyed Chloe.

What if he did take her?

Was there any sibling strong like this to take over?

Cassie was physically strong, but she was mentally immature.

Diana was the other way around, physically weaker than the others and yet mentally strong.

Pete – He obviously had allegiance to another Circle and wouldn't want leadership of the remnants of the Balcoin Clan, to the _rebuilding_ of it.

This other brother – he seemed lazy as hell!

So far, no matter how Lex saw it, if this was true then Chloe was the only one who truly had a chance at the helm.

Maybe the mystery brother was a different matter.

Maybe.

Lex frowned, shaking his head of those thoughts for now, merely watching Chloe as she finished listening to each side state their case.

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Sitting on her throne, leaning her cheek against her palm, Chloe sighed as she eyed those below her, mulling over both sides and their issues with each other. Annoyance grew within her because this was all extremely petty and yet she knew that she couldn't let her emotions show or it would ruin things by making tempers fly more than they already were. Her greens slid from one side to the other as she deliberated, eyeing the faces of her siblings.

Cassie looked annoyed as hell, tapping her fingers against her armrest and looking like she really just wanted to give everyone a good tongue-lashing, yet was refraining from doing so.

Diana seemed more confused as to how in the world things could have escalated this much given what they knew. She gave both sides the look she'd give their younger siblings when they were being ridiculously obtuse and "bratty".

Pete just kept looking at Lana, who kept looking at him, both seeming to have completely forgotten what was going on and just immersed themselves in each other.

Mikhail was, well, he was sleeping with his eyes open. The bugger.

Chloe sighed, trying to remember why her other brother wasn't in attendance but she had a horrible headache, most probably because of how annoyed she was right now, so she tried not to think so hard on anything that wasn't related to the issue at hand.

She took in a deep breath, deciding it was best to get this over and done with. "So am I to understand that the root of all this problem is because Lachlan Luthor promised you, Countess, that you would marry his son Lionel and yet Lionel went against his father's commands and instead married Lady Lillian, thus – and I quote – "robbing" you of your rightful place in the Luthor Circle?"

"Yes." Isobel nodded. "I kept my silence despite the grave affront to myself, and once Lillian died, I went to Lionel to have him fulfill his father's promise, but he refused to do so and wouldn't even give me a reason as to why he would do such a thing." The Countess narrowed her eyes. "I cannot _stand_ this affront in silence any longer!"

"You have no right to the Luthor name." Lex glared at the Countess.

"Your grandfather-!" she snarled.

"Is long gone!" Lex snapped.

"And was, please accept my apology in advance, a very selfish man." Chloe saw both of them swing their narrowed gazes towards her. "I am sure that when Lachlan Luthor promised you to his son, it was because he could see what I see in you." She knew the best way to handle Isobel and it wasn't with harsh snarls. "You are a very strong and intelligent woman. You're beautiful and _more_ than strong enough to stand next to Lionel Luthor as his wife and bare him children who are not only physically strong, but magically as well."

Lex scowled.

Isobel's lips twitched slightly before curving in a smile as she nodded.

"You have _every quality_ a wife of Luthor should have," Chloe assured her, seeing the older woman slowly lose her fury. "But it's because of all of these _important_ characteristics within you that make being the wife of Lionel Luthor wrong. And I'm sure that that is why he chose not to honor his father's promise and marry you."

Lex raised an eyebrow.

Isobel blinked. "I-I am not sure I follow your reasoning, Lady Chloe."

"You are a natural leader, you were _born_ for leadership. Would you _truly_ have been content being your husband's shadow? Not having any true say in any decision because you are only a part of that Circle through marriage and not blood?" Chloe asked curiously, trying to drive home a point.

Isobel paused.

"You would have been so wasted, and your clan would have suffered greatly at such a tremendous loss. Lachlan Luthor was being terribly selfish by trying to take you from your clan – cruel even." Chloe could see Isobel's eyes widening slightly. "Countess, can you truly imagine your clan under the leadership of _Prunella_?"

The woman in question bristled.

The Countess went horribly pale. "I had not – I had not considered that."

Lex looked between them before his gaze turned to Chloe and his lips began to twitch.

Chloe ignored him, gaze intent on Isobel. "I am sure this is why Lionel would not marry you. Despite not being of the Six, the Thoreaux have always been an exceptionally strong family with witches of high caliber. To put such a family in jeopardy by taking one of their strongest leaders to date would be a _crime_ against the magical community in whole, and the Thoreaux clan in particular."

"My Lady..." Isobel whispered, a shocked smile on her face. "I am speechless – I never realized the wisdom that resides within you is beyond your years. You saw immediately what was un-seeable in my eyes due to my own feelings of hurt. Had I not allowed emotion to cloud my judgment, I would have discerned the truth as you so easily have. I feel shame at having overlooked that which was so obvious." She curtsied before rising. "I have clearly misunderstood the situation and am humbled that you would go to such lengths to right things for the best of the Thoreaux clan." Isobel turned to Lex. "Please, accept my apologies for such misunderstanding on my part. The Thoreaux will recompense the Luthors for any damage or pains suffered through our misguided actions." She lowered her head in a slight bow. "Let us not part from this room as enemies with a war looming over our heads."

"Your apology and offer of restitution are accepted, as we do not wish a battle with your clan either." Lex nodded, face blank. "The loss of the Thoreaux would greatly affect us all."

Isobel smiled, obviously on a high from all this praise. "As would the loss of any of the Six."

Chloe could feel the magic of the convocation shattering all around them now that the issue had been resolved and she fought letting out a sigh of relief, having expected this to go on for much longer.

The doors opened and Faye, having sensed the magic dropping, appeared with as innocent a smile as she could muster. "We have prepared entertainment in celebration of the peace that has been achieved." She smirked, her single dimple going deep as she walked backwards and out of the way of the revelers as they entered, magic and aerobatic grandeur flashing everywhere.

The clans smiled as they watched the jesters and acrobats.

Isobel smiled, accepting a flower that one of the jesters had summoned and passed to her.

Chloe eyed everyone, smirking. She felt a gaze on her, her greens finding Lex eyeing her with the hint of a smile.

The blonde looked away, licking her lips as she caught Diana's eye and motioned with her chin to Mikhail.

Diana turned her eyes on their brother, sighed as she shook her head, and discreetly tapped his foot with hers.

He jerked, blinking as he came awake. "Is it over?"

Diana just sighed at him.

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Moira didn't know what to feel as she watched the screen.

The girl on them, smirking from her throne as the entertainers did their job to diffuse any lingering hostility that might be left over... She didn't look like the innocent girl Moira always saw her as. She didn't seem like one who needed saving from her nature because she'd given into it a very long time ago. Sure, this wasn't exactly Chloe, but this was her core, this was her spiritual manifestation. This meant that the girl on the throne twirling a scepter as she basked in her manipulative victory was inside of her daughter somewhere.

She was so Balcoin. So terribly Balcoin.

Moira couldn't see any Hibbins in that girl at all.

And that troubled her greatly.

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"I feel like a pawn you moved at will on a chessboard only you can see," a voice declared behind her from the shadows.

Chloe stared out at the night sky on a closed off balcony, the sound of merriment loud behind her. The festivities had moved back to the feast that had been waiting for them once they'd emerged from the throne room.

"And you do not deny it." Lex chuckled darkly as he appeared by her side, leaning against the balcony as well as he stared up at the stars. "Your game was well played."

"I had a skilled master." She continued to stare ahead of her. "Do you remember the many nights we stayed up so we could play chess?"

"Of course." He gazed at his hands. "You were horrible at first and now look at you. You've graduated from the wooden peons to manipulating living human beings in your own life-sized board." He chuckled darkly. "I think I just fell more in love with you."

She hung her head, gulping. "Xan..."

"Stop." His grip on the railing tightened. "Do not call me that. Not now. Not when I know what you are about to tell me."

Chloe's own grip tightened. "Then do not make me have to say it."

They remained side by side, staring at nothing but darkness and holding onto the railing as if their lives depended on it.

"We could still do it," he whispered.

"We could," she agreed. "But we would hate ourselves if we did."

He sighed, not denying it.

Chloe closed her eyes as she slid her hand out and rested it silently on his.

His hand moved so that he was clasping hers tightly.

The two remained like that, not saying a word, not needing to.

They both knew what had to be done, even if they'd both always look back at this moment and wish things had ended differently.

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Lex watched the scene in front of him, feeling so weird and conflicted.

This version of him showed so many different emotions – emotions Lex had never learned to express or understand. He hated seeing himself like that, so openly vulnerable for her to see, and hated the fact that he was jealous of that version of him for having the _ability_ to _feel_ those feelings, much less express them. He felt that this alternate version of him was more complete somehow; that this fake version was somehow _more real_ than he was.

The thought struck him hard.

How could a figment of imagination be capable of more humanity than _him_?

Highly disturbed, Lex swallowed, throat suddenly dry, and watched as the alternate version of himself and Chloe stood side by side and drew silent comfort from the other while they mourned what could have been.

He didn't look away until she faded away and the screens went black.

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Chloe collapsed onto her knees, bringing her hands to her face as she cried in total darkness. She could smell the musky scent around her and knew immediately that she was in the Balcoin Caves (or the Bleeding Caves as her mother called them) and the blonde knew that what she'd just gone through and felt had been a part of another Trial. She _knew_. It didn't mean that her heart was catching up as quickly as her mind. No, it was still half in love with Lex and in mourning.

The blonde let herself cry, _really_ cry – _ugly_ cry – feeling safe within these symbol-covered stone walls.

Finally, as soon as her heart finally caught up with her mind, Chloe wiped her face and breathed in and out before summoning light, which lit up the room for her as she stood. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, dialing a number by heart and bringing it to her ear.

"_Chloe_?" Whitney's voice was worried. "Where are you?"

"Balcoin Caves." She wiped at her eyes, sniffling as her voice wavered. "I want to go home."

"I'm coming for you," he promised, hanging up.

Chloe didn't even move towards the exit of the caves, instead leaning against the walls and sliding down, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared ahead of her in silence.

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Nell woke up in darkness, her head killing her and for a long time she didn't remember where she was or how she'd gotten there.

Finally she realized she was inside her shop, on the ground, almost as if someone had found her outside and had dragged her within before abandoning her.

The woman frowned as she brought her hand to her throbbing head, confused and pissed.

What the hell was going on?

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The Bleeding Caves only granted access to Diana, Whitney and Greg, the others having to wait outside, and for a moment Diana almost waited as well. Things had been awkward between her and Chloe's Circle, apparently they thought she'd betrayed them and she didn't know why. Anyone else would have waited outside for the boys to get Chloe, but Diana was worried. Why hadn't Chloe been waiting outside to meet them?

So she'd pushed away her worry and insecurities, hurrying through the veins of the interconnecting cave tunnels before finally stumbling ahead of the boys into the main cavern. Her dark eyes widened as she saw Chloe slowly rise to her feet, the girl shaky as she began walking towards her.

"Chloe?" Diana whispered, taking a couple of steps towards Chloe as Whitney and Greg finally entered the main cavern.

Chloe reached her, head lowered and hair hanging in her face, hiding her expression. The blonde stood in front of Diana in silence, staring at the floor.

"Are you okay?" Greg made to move forward but Whitney reached out his arm and blocked his way, shaking his head for the brunet to stay.

Diana didn't speak anymore, reaching out and softly brushing the hair out of Chloe's face, seeing the tear stains on her cheeks.

"I'm sick of this," Chloe whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm sick of these Trials, of being played with."

Diana gulped back emotion and reached out, hugging Chloe tightly, not knowing what to say to help.

For a moment there was nothing and then Chloe let out a half sob as she hugged Diana tightly, hiding her face in her hair. "I'm sorry for doubting you. _I'm_ _so sorry_."

Diana tried to reassure Chloe but she couldn't, the lump in her throat too huge so she just nodded, eyes filling with tears as she held on just as tightly.

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Clark stepped off of the plane, staring at his palm, highly disturbed.

The winged serpent tattoo on his palm had disappeared.

What did that mean? Were the Trials over maybe? Or had he forfeited his right to the tattoo when he'd left?

"Clark!" Pete's voice jerked him out of his thoughts and he turned to his waving friend and smiled, deciding to call back home and see what was going on as soon as they got to wherever it was they'd be staying.

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**TBC**


	46. Freaky Friday

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"I'm worried about her." Diana hugged her knees to her chest, sitting on the sofa in the living room, eyeing the stairs. "She hasn't left her bedroom in three days and she isn't eating."

"Why is this affecting her so much?" Greg didn't seem able to understand what was going on at all, the leather jacket wearing guy pacing the floor, as he'd been doing ever since Chloe's self-inflicted isolation had begun. "She's been through things _so_ much worse than this. I mean, sure, the thought of being in love with Lex Luthor _is_ nauseating, but _still_."

"I don't think it's the whole Lex part that has her like that." Whitney stared out of the window, glad that they had the whole house to themselves since Moira was out doing whatever she did during the days and Gabe was at work.

"Then _what_?" Greg was obviously trying hard to get it and failing. "The kidnapping couldn't have been it because she told the three of us the truth about that and they want her to be their leader. That's not trauma worthy."

"What if something happened to her that she hasn't told us?" Diana worried her bottom lip, brown eyes wide. "What if she _hasn't_ told us everything about what happened during her kidnapping? You _did_ say she nearly broke that girl's nose. Maybe she sought revenge?"

Whitney finally tore his gaze from the window and rested it on Diana, eyeing the girl who, after Chloe had sobbingly confessed everything about seeing John, hadn't actually taken any offense to the distrust they had all showed her. He didn't know what to make of Diana Meade. She was obviously still connected to her old Circle, and yet she was a part of this one as well, and it made him uneasy. He knew that she felt guilty for Chloe's situation and knew that that had been her reason for staying at first, but he'd been observing her for a while now and she really looked as if she genuinely cared for Chloe now. And he knew that Chloe cared greatly for Diana as well.

"That's bullshit." Greg shook his head to Diana's question. "Chloe's magic would never allow her to be hurt by that girl or any of those guys." He shook his head. "I say she was telling us the truth; they want her as their leader. That's a much more believable scenario." He ran his scarred hands through his hair. "It's the Trial that has her like this and I don't get it because she wasn't swallowed whole or nearly crushed to smithereens this time. Shouldn't that have affected her more?"

Diana continued worrying her bottom lip.

Whitney returned his gaze out of the window, ignoring the vibrating of his phone in his letterman pocket.

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Nell put down the phone at Potter's Potts and growled, her head still killing her and adding to her annoyance. She'd been back for three days and so far she'd only gotten through to Whitney once and instead of agreeing to round up everyone to have a meeting to fill her in on whatever was going on, he'd told her that he was sorry but he had other more important things to handle right now and hadn't answered any of her calls since then. It was annoying her how they were expecting her to be out of the loop like this.

When she'd gone to Chloe's home, because obviously that was where everyone was since they seemed to have abandoned the Talon during her absence, Moira had basically told her she couldn't come in and that whatever was happening was _none of her business!_ That one still stung her pride because, _yes_, this _was_ her business! It involved three of her niece's Circle mates!

And what was this about Chloe having a sister? There were too many conflicting rumors going around town and if this sister was Balcoin, Nell felt she had the right to know this sort of information.

Ignoring Linda, who was talking to a client, Nell dialed Whitney's number once more.

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Chloe sat on the floor in the corner of her locked bedroom, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared ahead of her.

She felt guilty because she knew she was worrying everyone, but she couldn't summon the desire to move. The last Trial kept playing over and over in her head and it made her sick to her stomach. If that was a glimpse of what life would be as the Firstborn, as head of one of the Six, she didn't want it! That version of her had been miserable!

Chloe closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, remembering all too easily what it'd been like.

On the outside, she might have seemed so in control; grounded and ready for what she had to become, and yet on the inside she'd been a nervous young girl with a desire and desperate _need_ to prove to everyone, but especially herself, that she was ready to fill the shoes that her father's unexpected death had left her in. She'd been unable to sleep, unable to enjoy any minute of her life or any aspect of it because she was constantly being watched. Any little action of hers could have some sort of adverse effect, not only on her clan but her family, and so she'd stopped doing anything that wasn't necessary.

Love was definitely one of those "unnecessary" things. That version of her might have been in love with Lex, in love in a way Chloe had never actually figured she could ever feel given her abandonment issues and subsequent problems with trusting anyone. And despite that strong love, need, _comfort_... That version of her easily turned away from the source of it because she had to think of her clan first, had to sacrifice everything she wanted for herself and her future. She couldn't be selfish like that, resigned to the fact that he'd marry someone else and so would she – once she found someone suitable who would not only be a beneficial ally for her clan, but come from a respectable heritage and would ensure she had strong children (both physically and magically) so that their lineage would remain the way it had always been since the first Balcoin.

Her mind – it was filled with so much information now that she felt so very numb. It was almost as if she'd lived two different lifetimes. She remembered everything about the imaginary her and it was messing with her mind because sometimes she forgot exactly which her was the real one and which had been conjured for the Trials.

Chloe's hand reached up to clasp around the necklace John had given her, the one she'd been wearing in the fantasy.

She just wished – if only for a little while – that she didn't have to be the Firstborn; that she could be a normal girl.

As a single tear trailed down her cheek, her pendant flashed white.

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"Hey." Jason smiled a bit guiltily at Davis from the breakfast table, watching the dark haired man approach. "How are you feeling?"

Davis collapsed onto the seat, groaning as he leaned against the table. "Like I have the hangover from _hell_."

"You remember anything?" Jason asked, knowing the Enthrallment must have passed given the fact that Davis had actually left the room.

"Some." Davis brought his hand to his head. "There was a girl, in a mask, and she kissed me unexpectedly."

Didn't _that_ bring back memories?

"And then it was like, I don't know how to explain it." Davis' dark eyes finally went to Jason. "It's like everything sparkled and was humming and there were colors I've never seen before."

Yeah. Jason could definitely relate to that experience. "It's a bit trippy, ain't it?"

"That was the Firstborn?" Davis frowned.

"Yeah." Jason pushed his cereal bowl away from him. "Apparently you walked into an experiment Lex was conducting and she thought you were the subject she was supposed to Enthrall. He's really to blame for it all. But if it makes you feel any better, your experience gave him ample material to study so he's happy." Jason's smile fell. "All things considering."

"All things considering?" Davis pressed his hand harder to his head. "What happened while I was, uh?"

"We've got Oliver and Tess back and they've got their fingers back." Jason gazed up, where the two were still sleeping off their time in captivity. "Patricia's alive, Davis. And from what we understand, she's working with the Circle that took Ollie and Tess. It's a Circle that has a Balcoin in it; a Circle that kidnapped Chloe."

"Is she alright?" Davis sat up straighter.

"Thankfully a Trial took her away from them." Jason leaned back hard on his chair. "It seems to have done a number on her though; she hasn't been the same since. Says she doesn't remember the kidnapping; don't know if Lex believes it. I know I don't." He ran his hand over his hair. "I think she's traumatized though and maybe doesn't _want_ to remember whatever happened there." His hazels darkened. "Tess and Ollie _did_ lose their fingers."

Davis's eyes narrowed. "Why would Patricia fake her own death and turn on us?"

"We don't know." Jason hated it. "And it's driving Lex crazy."

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Chloe opened her eyes, taking in a deep gulp of breath, and then froze. Those eyes widened and yet they weren't green anymore. No, they were _hazel_. Her hair wasn't blonde anymore, it was dark brown. She was also _much_ taller than she had been previously and that face wasn't hers. She also wasn't in her room anymore, sitting in a corner. Instead she was in the bathroom of what seemed to be a high school, applying dark lipstick to her lips.

"Stop being so mean." Melissa opened the bathroom stall behind her and went to the sink next to Chloe, turning on the water as she soaped her hands. "I know Cassie's been spending more time with us but I _like_ her. And you would too if you actually gave her a chance."

Chloe just eyed Melissa blankly, not sure what the hell was going on.

"Don't give me that blank look, young lady. I _know_ that despite all of your bravado and bad attitude, you don't actually hate her." Melissa dried her hands. "And she needs us now more, after Diana..."

Chloe returned her gaze to her reflection, telling herself to breathe, to calm down.

This had to be a dream.

It _had_ to be!

"I'm Faye Chamberlain." Those were her first words, and damn it, it was freaking _weird_ to say words that Faye's voice actually vocalized!

"I know that, but still, you have a heart in there somewhere." Melissa gave her a teasing smile. "Let's go, we'll be late for English Lit."

"Right. Of course. English Lit." Chloe told herself to just chill, and that was when her phone rang an unknown number. She stared at it in horror, feeling terrified and not knowing whether she should answer it or not.

Melissa raised an eyebrow. "You going to answer that or just look at it?"

Chloe gave her a weak smile before bringing the phone to her ear.

"_Please_ tell me I'm talking to the real Chloe." Her own voice spoke in her ear.

"Faye!" Chloe's eyes widened before clearing her throat when Melissa gave her a weird look. "That's my name! Don't wear it out!"

"Oh dear god, don't _say_ that type of stuff when you're _me_!" Faye begged. "Because, uh, you _are_ me, right?"

"Am I ever." Chloe turned to look at her reflection, or, Faye's.

"And I'm you." Faye took in a deep breath. "Do we know _why_ I'm you?"

"No idea." Chloe's gaze then went to her chain and raised it, the Balcoin pendant around her neck. "Then again..."

"That's new," Melissa commented, putting on her lipstick.

"Melissa's there?" Faye asked.

"Yuh." Chloe nodded, hiding the pendant under her shirt once more.

"Has she figured out that you're me?"

"Doesn't seem so."

"Some best friend _she_ is." Faye sounded like she was pouting.

"What about over there?" Chloe wanted to know.

"I'm still in your room so they haven't seen me, much less figured anything out yet." Faye replied. "_How_ could she not see the difference?" There was a pause. "You're seriously _short_." Faye let out a growl. "If your friends figure me out and mine don't-" There was a pause. "Wanna play a game of Freaky Friday?"

"Excuse me?" Chloe frowned and seeing Faye's reflection… Just so freaky.

"You be me for a day and I'll be you, see if anyone figure's out what's going on. See who has better friends."

"But-"

"Look, I've seen the Freaky Friday movies. These sort of freaky things only happen when the people who switch either need some time away from being themselves – or need to learn something they could only learn by being in the other person's shoes." She seemed to be rummaging through something. "And I _need_ to buy you new shoes."

"Don't _touch_ anything." Chloe took in a deep breath, tempted. "We do a whole reveal by the end of the day?"

"Sure." Faye seemed a little preoccupied. "So _this_ is what you put in your hair."

Chloe palmed her face. "Just for the day."

"Cool! Talk to you later so we can fill the other in about what's been going on!" And then Faye hung up.

Chloe didn't get how the other girl could be taking this so easily.

"So, who was that? A new boy toy?" Melissa asked curiously. "Things _really_ not working with Jake?"

Chloe snapped the phone shut, taking in a deep before turning to Melissa and trying out the smirk she'd continuously seen on Faye's face, that single dimple going deep, face mysteriously secretive. "Since when have you known me to kiss and tell?"

Melissa giggled. "_Always_?"

"Well, I'm keeping this one – at least until tonight." Chloe felt very awkward looking _down_ at people given the fact that she was one of the shortest people she knew and was used to looking _up_ at them.

"_Mystery_." Melissa laughed, looping her arm around Chloe's arm before leading them out of the bathroom.

Chloe felt a little guilty for deceiving Melissa, but hadn't this what she wanted? At least a day where she wasn't the Firstborn?

Her smile was much more genuine as she walked the halls of the high school of Chance Harbor for the very first time.

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Faye Chamberlain felt seriously short as she stared at her reflection, or, well, _Chloe's_ reflection. She'd always wanted to know what it would be like to be a Balcoin, to be more special than the ultra important Cassie, and even if this only was for a day she was getting her way. For once. It was odd to smile and not see the single dimple but she figured if that was all the sacrifice she had to make then fine.

Dressed to the nines despite Chloe's wardrobe not really being to her taste, Faye sent her blonde reflection a flash of a smile before clearing her throat and leaving the room. She'd heard the murmur of voices below and knew that the Circle must be waiting for Chloe to go somewhere, so she'd just changed into something nice which was appropriate for most places in a hick town.

She was going to play this right because damn it, if her friends didn't realize Chloe wasn't her then at least she wanted to make sure that Chloe's friends didn't notice the switch either. Her ego would never let her live it down otherwise.

Going down the stairs, Faye smiled as she saw everyone turn to look at her, Diana standing. She pranced into the living room. "So, what's on the menu for today? What are we doing?"

The three sent each other little looks.

Diana stepped forwards. "You feeling okay?"

"Of _course,_ sissy." Faye smiled at the weirdness of calling Diana that before turning her (now) green eyes on the two boys. "So I was thinking, since we don't have school until the building is finished, why don't we go to Metropolis and have some fun?"

Whitney eyed her in silence.

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Is there shopping involved? Because I don't do shopping."

"I need new shoes, but I wouldn't bring _boys_ around for that." Faye rolled her eyes as she reached for Diana and looped an arm around hers, feeling _so_ weird to have to _look up_ at Diana now that she was so insanely short. "Let's go and have some _fun_."

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So, apparently the group had a routine of eating at Adam's father's restaurant after school ended each day.

Chloe was somewhat silent, sitting between Adam and Melissa, Jake and Cassie sitting opposite them. She played with her food, feeling a bit more guilty now that Cassie was involved in the whole thing, but she had already agreed and damn it, she wanted _one_ normal day. Just one. And if she was being selfish then she didn't care. She wasn't the head yet, should enjoy this little freedom while she still could.

"_Faye_." Adam nudged her with his shoulder.

"Sorry!" She looked up, noticing everyone watching her oddly.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked. "It's not like you to be so quiet."

"Of course. I was just thinking about something." Chloe tried to act all uncaring with a shrug. "So, what's all the nudging about?"

"We were asking what you were wearing for tonight's party." Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Melissa said that you'd bought a costume from months ago but have been keeping what it is under wraps."

A party.

A _costume_ party.

Oh wow.

That was normal, wasn't it?

Chloe's smile was genuine. "It's a _surprise_."

Even for her!

"What was it last time? Little Red Riding Hood?" Jake wanted to know.

Had it been?

"Surprised you remember given the fact that you were busy trying to get us _killed_ that night." Adam snorted.

"Did you hear something?" Jake asked Melissa. "It sounded like the voice of someone who _willingly_ absorbed _dark magic_."

Adam looked away, a muscle jumping in his cheek.

"Will the two of you just stop it?" Cassie frowned. "We've _all_ made mistakes."

"I haven't," Melissa reminded everyone.

"Callum." Jake pointed his fork at her.

"That was an _almost_ mistake," Melissa defended. "And I'm done with the dangerous type. I'm – I'm more into the sweet type now."

"Are we talking about Clark Kent?" Jake chuckled.

"Maybe." Melissa pouted. "If he'd actually answer me back. I think he mightn't like me as much as I thought."

"He does," Chloe spoke before even thinking, everyone's gaze turning to her. "He _really_ likes you."

"How would _you_ know this?" Adam asked curiously.

Chloe's eyes widened, realizing she'd just messed up. The girl cleared her throat and played indifferent. "Because Chloe told me."

The table went silent.

Cassie tightened her grip on the table. "You – You've been speaking to Chloe?"

"What?" Chloe tried to think of a way Faye would answer this. "Am I not allowed to?"

"No, it's just that, uh," Cassie cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable and not sure what to say. "I didn't realize you two had gotten close during our trip to Smallville."

"I wouldn't say _close_," Chloe hedged. "We just talk sometimes."

"And whenever I mention her, you go silent." Cassie's gaze lowered to her plate. "You've been playing it close to the chest. That's surprising." She gave a little crooked smile. "I would have expected you to throw it in my face the fact that you're closer to my sister than I am. That she likes you better."

That was... unexpected.

The way Cassie acted, Chloe wouldn't have guessed that the girl would have _cared_ either way.

"I'm sure it's not that Chloe likes Faye better," Adam assured. "But they did talk more. You two really didn't communicate much while you were there."

"Still." Cassie leveled Chloe with a look. "She's _my_ sister. Not yours. If I have issues with her then you shouldn't use them to your advantage and-"

"You're a brat." Chloe couldn't stop herself and just eyed her little sister in shock.

"Excuse me?" Cassie gasped.

"You have _no right_ to be angry right now. None." Chloe eyed the girl levelly, speaking calmly but sternly all at the same time. "When you arrived in Smallville you alternated from telling Chloe that Diana needed to stay away from her for her own safety, to being jealous of the fact that she had the power of Francis Balcoin in her, to being wary about the very same thing. You never _once_ actually tried to sit down and talk like sisters do; to get to know her. You made her think that you didn't like her. That you resented her." She slammed her hands palms-down onto the table. "Given your actions, you have _no right_ to know sit here and tell _me off_ for – what exactly? Trying to _steal_ your sister? A sister you've never actually shown to give a _damn _about?"

"You would _never_ be able to understand _what_ I'm going through right now!" Cassie snapped back, slamming her hands on the table as well, facing off. "You're a spoiled brat who thinks everything should be given to you and revolve around you and you've always resented me! Resented my place in this Circle, resented that I had dark magic, resented that Jake liked me, resented that John was my father and not yours – so what? You've decided that you'll _finally_ be able to one-up me by taking my place in a Circle that would be headed by _my_ sister?" She sneered. "Yeah. I know about that."

"Seriously? _Who_ is the conceited one here?" Chloe shook her head, ignoring Melissa and glaring at Cassie. "Not everything in this world revolves around you."

"No, of course, it revolves around _you_." Cassie shook her head in disgust. "Faye Chamberlain, the spoilt little rich girl who hates herself so much she's constantly trying to be someone else." She leaned forwards. "I've had enough of you and your attitude."

"_My_ attitude?" Chloe knew that she herself wasn't being attacked, but still, damn it, her issues with Cassie were coming to the surface. "Why don't you talk about _your_ attitude?"

"Because _my_ attitude is just fine," Cassie snapped.

Chloe laughed, it was an ugly sound. "Your attitude stinks."

"Oh yeah?" Cassie straightened.

"_Yeah._" Chloe did as well, for once glad for Faye's height. "I get it, okay? I do. Your mom was killed badly. You came here and found out you were a witch, had dark magic, and had to get accustomed to how that completely messed up your life and your plans for it. Then your father, who should be _dead_, arrives and he makes you feel like you might not only get control over your dark magic and not have it overload and control you, but you might have a family again. That desire to have a family is magnified when your grandmother gets killed. So you cling to him and then to Diana when you find out about her being your sister because despite everything that happened between you two and Adam, somehow you were still close. And then you lose Adam too. It's like everything is falling apart. All you have left, all you _really_ have left, are your father and sister." She stared into Cassie's green eyes, seeing the truth in them as they grew darker and darker with pain. "But then you realize that your father is going to kill all your friends and other innocents; he can't be trusted. You kill him." It was still hard for Chloe to say that, to imagine it, still unable to truly see John as the bad guy. "That only leaves you with your sister but she _bolts _the first chance she gets and leaves you all alone. You're worse than when you came here the first time because you might have lost your mother, but at least you didn't have magic screwing you over. And then you find out about your sister, that she's fine, and she's staying with other family. Another sister. You feel useless, worthless; you feel replaceable. _I. Get. It._"

Cassie gulped.

"You've suffered Cassie, I get it, you have _no idea_ how much I get it. But you need to _get over_ it or you'll become a bitter person who hates herself." Chloe licked her lips, unable to stop herself from speaking. "You need to get that while you've suffered, so have others. Their lives have been screwed over just as much as yours has. Diana found out that her father isn't her father, but instead someone she considers _evil_ is. And then not only does she have her dark magic – the taint she hates so much – forced onto her, but she has to _kill_ the man who is biologically her father, and also loses the man she loves as a father because he is catatonic by ingesting _demons_ to save her. He's in constant agony with them inside of him and it's only the spell binding them to him that keeps him from ever being the father she needs from him. So she clings to a boy who only was with her because of her real father and he abandoned her as soon as she reached her family because that's what her father wanted." Chloe leaned forward. "She then finds out that because she killed her father, this other sister is trapped to become a slave and the guilt she's already being consumed by grows worse. She sticks around and tries to do her best because it's the only way she feels she can redeem herself. She feels trapped between the Circles, doesn't really know her place and it's a very sad, very lonely position."

Cassie swallowed, tears beginning to accumulate in her eyes.

"I – Chloe gets it." She felt so odd talking about herself in the third person. "About four months ago, she didn't know she was a witch, that she was bound to some other Circle as some sort of living crystal so they could use her dark magic for their own gain, or that she was also the Firstborn of six children and that even though she hasn't turned seventeen yet, as the oldest living Balcoin she'd have to start Trials to prove her worth to lead the remnants of an almost extinct clan that _apparently_ the fate of the magical community as a _whole_ rests upon. She was abused by the power-hungry bitch that wanted control of the first Circle she was contemplating joining, and then found out that she'll probably never have a real relationship because every single time she kisses a guy they go zombified. She'll never know if someone's with her because they love her or because they're Enthralled to do so. So, before all this, she meets a man, the only man she thinks she can trust, her _father_. He tells her that he has so much planned for her, he helps her, and then he gets killed before she can get to know him, to learn what she needs to know. Maybe he could have helped her with the Enthrallment, maybe he could have found some other way to free her, but she'll never know because _you and Diana_ killed him. And she gets it. She understands why it was done. She wishes things had been different, she _still_ wants to believe he might be alive but she knows he's not and that she's at a great disadvantage because of it. Not only does she have to go through life threatening Trials, but she's putting her friends in danger as well, and even if she lives through this she's going to still be trapped by a pact that she might have been able to escape with John's help." Chloe laughed darkly. "And then she meets another sister, one she met in dreams before, one who resents her openly and makes her feel as if she's a danger to Diana. Which she knows she is. She does. She understands your resentment and she resents you too. You killed John. You're partly to blame for what she's going through. But that doesn't matter. You're family, and like you, she doesn't have much of that anymore. But you made it _very_ obvious you were only there for Diana and didn't want anything to do with Chloe and she respected that, gave you your space and respected your decisions, your feelings."

Cassie sat silently, her head tilting down.

Adam, Melissa and Jake looked very worried yet almost afraid to talk.

"Do you _understand_ what it means to be Firstborn, Cassie? Do you _understand_ the fact that her life isn't hers anymore? That she can't plan a future for herself? Even if she ends up finding a way out of the blood pact, she's still going to be a slave to the Balcoins!" Chloe slammed her hands down once more, the table shaking. "She's going to have to dedicate _her whole life_ to trying to slowly rebuild the Balcoin clan, her every thought, action, _everything_ is going to have to be fueled by this need. She's going to have to put away _every single dream she's ever had_." Chloe hated the fact that her eyes were filling with tears and her voice wavering. She paused for a moment, stabbing at her eyes with the palms of her hands and clearing her throat before continuing. "She's turning seventeen soon, and she doesn't know if she'll be alive for the party. She doesn't know if she _wants_ to be alive for the party. The only reason she fights is because she doesn't want anyone else to have to go through these Trials too."

Cassie looked up at that, horror on her pale face.

"Her mother thinks she's evil, thinks that she can help her not be by being by her side, but it's obvious in her eyes that she's beginning to feel it's a lost cause. 'There's no Hibbins in her, only Balcoin. Only John. And John – John was evil. I'm scared that it's only a matter of time'." She lowered her gaze. "I've heard her say that when she thought I wasn't listening." The girl cleared her throat. "But that's not important. It isn't. All I'm saying is that you really should know the whole story and not just mourn your own. There are other people suffering out there, Cassie. Not just you." Her nails dug into the table as she stared dead into those eyes. "So if you decide you want to get your head out of your ass and want to actually get to know Chloe instead of sitting there bemoaning the fact that you're alone and I'm trying to steal her from you, then pick up the goddamn phone and call. Until then, I don't even want to look at you." With that she grabbed Faye's bag and stormed off, rubbing the palms of her hands into her eyes, knowing she was ruining her makeup but not giving a damned.

Behind her, she could hear Cassie break out crying, and while a part of her felt guilty as hell, Chloe continued on.

There were hurried footsteps and then Jake caught up to her, walking side by side in silence.

She didn't look at him, merely staring ahead, not sure where she was going.

Jake didn't speak, not until they were in the parking lot. "So, how did the switch happen?"

Chloe froze, turning to look at him with wide eyes.

Jake's gaze turned to her. "I know Faye enough to know that she wasn't the one who just gave that speech. She would have called Cassie a bitch, used magic, and probably tried pulling her hair."

Despite it all Chloe gave a little laugh through her tears, still wiping at her eyes. "I shouldn't have gone off on her like that."

"It was bound to happen." Jake shrugged. "You should have heard the arguments Nick and I used to have."

Silence befell them.

"I think I might have unknowingly switched us," Chloe admitted finally, eyeing him as she clutched at her necklace. "I just wanted _so badly_ not to be me for one day. To be normal. To have fun. To not have to-" She gulped, licking her lips. "When Faye called and suggested we not tell anyone and just be the other for a day – I couldn't say no."

Jake stared down at her before a crooked little smile touched his lips as he nodded. "It'll be our secret."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem, think of it as a way to repay you for not killing me when I attacked you back in Smallville." Jake gave a sheepish smile as he began walking again. "I never did apologize to you, did I?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I'm sorry. We all are. It was stupid and reckless of us. We should have known better." Jake shrugged. "Though, I think getting our asses handed to us was a great lesson. We're much less likely to spell first and ask questions later."

Once again Chloe laughed, slowly feeling a little better. "Good."

He sent her a wide smile.

They continued walking together, and when he reached a truck and opened the door for her, Chloe slipped in.

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Faye was having _fun. _She was gonna have to see if she could find a way to burn down _their_ high school without getting caught once she got back. She admired her gorgeous shoes, knowing Chloe would thank her for her additions to the wardrobe. So _what_ if she'd lied to the boys and after a few hours had taken them all to the mall to buy stuff? They should have expected these sorts of things by going out with girls.

The curtain was pulled across her changing area, and Faye turned, eyes wide at the hunk that slipped in with her. "You might be handsome, but I'll scream rape."

He rolled his eyes. "You need to come with me _now_. It's a matter of life and death."

"Really? You're going to try paraphrasing a terminator line on me?" Faye snorted, hands on her hips. "Listen here, Mr Tall Dark and Pervy, I'm not going anywhere with you when I don't even know your name."

"What are you talking about?" He frowned. "It's _Lucas_. You know that."

Oh!

Did Chloe know this guy?

"You okay in there, Chloe?" Diana's voice was odd.

"Of course!" Faye called out before giving Lucas a look over, voice lowered. "Look hot stuff, work on your lines and then come again some other day. You can't get by on looks alone these days. Sorry, bud. You're out of luck." With that she pushed around him and slipped out, joining Diana with an innocent smile. "How about some_ coffee_?"

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"Where's Chloe?"

Moira raised an eyebrow, looking at the files in front of her. "I don't know, home I think."

"Are you sure about it?" Gabe asked, voice desperate.

"She hasn't left the house for three days now, Gabe. I doubt today her attitude will have done a complete 180 and she's out prancing about happily somewhere." Moira frowned at the information in front of her. "Why?"

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Whitney caught the look in Diana's eyes as Chloe, arm looped around Diana's, talked about something the boys (who were holding all the damned bags) couldn't hear.

"That's not Chloe," Greg mumbled, looking through one of the bags before pulling out a lacy red thong. "But I _do_ like her style."

"I _know_ that isn't Chloe, as does Diana if her freaked out expression is anything to go by." Whitney grabbed the thong from Greg and threw it back into the bag. "The question is _who_ is she?"

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"So I'm guessing this isn't the first time you've been in Faye's bedroom." Chloe smirked, eyeing the place with interest since it gave her a look into Faye herself.

"Let's just say I became a savant when it came to sneaking out of that window." Jake grinned brightly, hands in his pockets. "Her mom caught me once. It wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine." The blonde picked up a picture of Faye, Melissa, and a blonde guy with leather jacket that reminded her a bit of Greg.

"That was my brother, Nick."

Chloe turned to look at Jake before putting the picture back. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Jake sighed, looking away. "So, in three hours the party is gonna start. Want me to come and pick you up? No one will think much about it, they'll just think that Faye and I are on again."

"Thank you, for helping me." Chloe hugged herself. "This is really nice of you."

"Yeah, well, everyone deserves a nice, normal day without any drama, and so far you haven't had that at all." Jake shrugged. "Tonight needs to make up for it." He turned his gaze towards her. "Consider it a thank you for taking Diana in and treating her so well."

Chloe smiled. "Okay."

Jake nodded, backing away. "I better go before Mrs Chamberlain returns home and gets the _wrong_ idea."

"That would be awkward," Chloe agreed.

Flashing her one last smile, Jake waved before showing himself out.

Chloe looked all around the room before going to the bed and collapsing on it, smiling.

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Faye was seriously enjoying messing with Diana, Whitney and Greg. She had no idea how Chloe acted around them, but it was fun being the Chloe she envisioned, especially since apparently Chloe was boss. If Chloe wanted to do something and said that was what they were going to do, the others didn't question it, just like everyone always did of Faye back home. If Cassie wanted something, they bent over backwards to give her her way, but no, not for Faye Chamberlain.

Sighing, Faye eyed her reflection in the bathroom, having left the three outside talking and holding her bags. There was only some old woman in the bathroom with her but Faye ignored her, just staring at Chloe's face in the mirror.

She wondered if her friends had realized Chloe wasn't her yet.

Not that she _cared_ or anything.

Shaking her head, Faye put on a smile, telling herself her friends _would_ notice. That despite it all they were her friends and _knew_ her. She eyed the smile on her face, lowered it a degree so it didn't look so forced, and then walked out of the bathroom-nearly colliding with a man. "Watch it, gramps!"

"I'm so sorry, please excuse me." He smiled down congenially at her, dressed to the nines.

"Sure." She shrugged, trying to sidestep him, but he moved with her blocking her way. Greens narrowed as Faye glared up at him. "If you're going to hit on me let me just say-"

"Miss Sullivan, I must admit that you wound me by not having a faint notion as to who I am."

Faye's eyes narrowed. "Who-?"

But then the woman from the bathroom emerged and pressed a cloth against her mouth and nose and Faye's eyes rolled in the back of her head as her knees gave out and everything went black.

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**TBC**


	47. Getting Into Character

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Supernatural**

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Oh _wow_.

Chloe stared at herself in the reflection of the mirror, still not used to seeing Faye there instead, but not minding it too much as she stared at herself in the costume that the brunette had been keeping under wraps for a very good reason. It was, well, it wasn't something that Chloe herself would have bought but it fit Faye and her personality perfectly. It was a Mord-Sith outfit, like Cara's from Legend of the Seeker, two Agiels and thigh holsters having come with the costume as well.

Chloe really hadn't ever met anyone else who watched Legend of the Seeker, which had always been a favorite little pleasure of hers, and so if Faye did, Chloe was going to have to check out this Merlin series she'd been talking about. Maybe she'd like it.

Pulling the Agiels out of their holsters, Chloe posed in front of the mirror, channeling Cara, before laughing and straightening.

There was a knock on the window.

She jerked around, eyes wide, and the window slammed open, revealing a surprised Jake.

"Honey?" Faye's mom's voice called.

Jake ducked and hid as Mrs Chamberlain opened the door, peering inside.

Chloe turned towards the beautiful blonde woman. "Hey."

"What was that sound?" Mrs Chamberlain asked curiously. "It sounded like something broke."

"The window was a little stuck, but it's open now, and not broken." Chloe gave her an innocent expression.

Dawn Chamberlain eyed the girl and gave a tender smile. "You look gorgeous, honey. So beautiful."

Chloe's smile slipped slightly, feeling bad for impersonating this woman's daughter. "Thanks."

"You've grown up so much," Dawn sighed, going over to where she was and grabbing a brush, motioning for Chloe to sit down so she could brush her hair. "I know we've had our differences, and I know I should have told you about the fact that you had magic – but I want you to always know you can count on me to be there for you. You're my precious daughter and I love you _so _much."

Chloe stared at Faye's reflection in the mirror as Mrs Chamberlain ran the brush through those straight locks before beginning to style it for her. "Thank you."

"Oh honey, you don't have to thank me for that." The older woman pressed a kiss to the crown of her daughter's head. "I'm your mother."

Chloe's eyes prickled with tears, always having wanted a mother to do things like this with, but she fought the tears and kept the smile on her face. "I probably don't tell you this ever, and if you ever bring it up I'll probably deny it, but I'm lucky to have a mother who loves me like you do."

Dawn Chamberlain swallowed, tears in her eyes before she nodded and went back to work. "And don't you forget it, young lady." She finished the high, Mord-Sith braid. "There you go. Perfection."

"Thanks." Chloe smiled, slowly standing. "I think my ride's here."

"Well, you enjoy yourself, okay? But not _too_ much." Mrs Chamberlain smirked.

Chloe could see where Faye had gotten it, returning the smirk, dimple deep. "Now you _know_ I can't promise that." She exited the house, shaking her head at the differences between Faye's relationship with her mother, and Chloe and Moira.

"Nice." Jake's voice caught her off guard despite the fact that she'd known he was there. This was the first time she saw his costume, the blonde deciding he made a good Indiana Jones.

"I know, right? This is so cool. She's going to be annoyed that I'm the one who wore it technically." Chloe grinned, twirling so Jake could appreciate the outfit. "I'm going to enjoy it though." She clasped her hands in front of her as they walked towards his awaiting truck. "I really haven't gone to a party before, so I'm lamely excited." She shook her head. "I guess Faye wouldn't be and I'm being totally out of character..."

Jake sent her a sideways glance. "So what do you do for fun then?"

"On a good night?" She sent him a sideways glance. "Not getting killed is _pretty_ high on that list."

Jake shook his head. "While life is _definitely_ a good thing, I can see why you'd want to switch bodies for a while with someone else." He sighed. "And you chose the best person to switch with because Faye has always wanted to be a Balcoin ever since she found out what a Balcoin was. She's got to be loving every second of it."

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When Faye came to, she realized two things. One was that she was tied to a chair and two was that her magic wasn't working. It was then that she looked down and saw a familiar powder encircling her, the girl cursing. Witch-Hunters. Seriously? Of _course_ she'd switch places with Chloe in time for the girl to be captured by the remaining Witch-Hunters out there! This seriously bites!

She still struggled.

"Miss Sullivan, if you would restrain from hurting yourself I'd be appreciative," a suave voice declared from the shadows as the man from before arrived.

"Right." Faye raised an eyebrow, eyeing him. "Like I _care_ about _your_ feelings right now."

"I would think you'd be smarter than to antagonize your captor when you are so clearly vulnerable and at my mercy," he declared.

"Real brave of you, tying up a teenage girl and encircling her in Colocasia Root." Faye sneered at him. "Let me go and we'll see just how vulnerable I am against Witch-Hunter scum like you. You're all cowards. It's why you never face witches head on and only attack from behind using grannies as your secret weapon."

"Witch-Hunters." He chuckled darkly before coming closer, bending on his knees to eye her. "I'm disappointed in you, Miss Sullivan. I would have thought any daughter of John Balcoin to be smarter than this."

"Well, I'll somehow find a way to live with your disappointment."

"My son must be glad he doesn't have hair or you'd have him pulling it out," the man declared thoughtfully. "I'm surprised he is still trying to hide you from me and keep you for himself."

"Your son?" Faye raised an eyebrow.

"How terribly disappointing that I have to spoon-feed you like I would a babe." He shook his head, standing once more and straightening his suit. "Since it seems that you did not inherit your father's brain, let me spell it out for you." He raised an eyebrow. "I am Lionel Luthor."

Faye's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what the hell was going on and who'd kidnapped her. "Oh _crap_."

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"What do you _mean_ she's missing?" Jason stood, eyes narrowed.

"She's been acting weird, unlike herself; almost as if she was a different person altogether." Whitney's voice was in his ear. "But then she disappeared after going to the bathroom and I got a phone call from her father saying that he saw Mr Luthor in Metropolis."

"Lionel's supposed to be in Star City right now." Jason froze, eyes widening. "The only reason he would be here is because – _he knows_."

"Exactly," Whitney announced. "I think he has Chloe."

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The party was going strong by the time Chloe and Jake arrived, the two sharing smiles as they entered. The Mord-Sith and Indiana Jones were getting looks from everyone, mostly appreciative ones, which Chloe could get because Jake and Faye were beautiful, and together they were just unfairly good looking. They were a beautiful looking couple, complimenting each other perfectly. She wondered why exactly they kept being on and off.

She searched the crowd, finding Faye's friends.

Melissa was dressed as a French maid, ignoring a couple of guys who were trying to hit on her, instead texting on her iPhone.

Adam danced with a redhead, the guy dressed up as Beetlejuice.

Cassie was the Queen of Hearts, holding a small heart scepter, half listening to something a guy was telling her.

"Wanna dance?" Jake asked.

Chloe eyed the hand he held out to her and smiled, nodding. "I really can't dance."

"Good." He grinned, pulling her into the dance floor, the blonde in brunette's body smiling as she let herself be pulled.

She stood awkwardly at first before slowly getting lulled by the careless fun being had around her. It reminded her of a much grander scale version of the small party they'd had at the Talon, and Chloe forced herself to dance despite knowing that she really couldn't. She laughed, especially when she realized that many others couldn't dance either and just didn't care. The girl let that spirit fill her, as well as the infectious happiness and enjoyment all around her. She finally let herself relax, let herself be Faye, and let herself enjoy something without second guessing and questioning what sort of consequences her every action could have.

She laughed and had fun, forgetting for a while that she wasn't Faye.

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"For the _last time__,_ old man." Faye struggled against her restraints. "I'm not really Chloe Sullivan. We've switched bodies so it makes no sense to even _try_ binding me to you because it's not going to work!"

"That is a very creative excuse," Lionel declared as he prepared something on a table behind her.

"It's _not_," Faye growled. "Because of _creeps_ like you, Chloe, the _real_ Chloe, wanted out of her life for a day and you were stupid enough to kidnap me instead of her."

"Now, now, let's not call each other names."

Faye snarled as she pulled on her binds. "_Fine_. Try and bind me. See if it works!"

He wasn't listening to her, humming to himself.

Faye closed her eyes and hung her head, letting out a long sigh.

Being a Balcoin was _definitely_ not as fun as it was made out to be.

She wanted to be herself again.

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Chloe didn't want to be herself ever again.

She hadn't had fun like this in a _very_ long time, even before the magical crap.

The whole night had been one dance after the other, and not always with Jake either. She'd bounced from one side of the room to the other, Faye quite popular with the boys, the blonde going from one to another and another. The music was always upbeat and never anything slow so she didn't have to worry about actually dancing – since what everyone was doing was really shaking up and down and not real dancing.

Finally, Chloe broke free, smiling at her latest dance partner before going to get some punch, tasting the alcohol in it and blinking as she realized this was her first ever spiked punch. Wow. That smile grew as she took another sip of the drink, not wanting to get drunk. Not tonight. She was having way too much fun.

It was hot though, with all the bodies and the dancing and _leather_, Chloe fanning herself before deciding to slip outside for a second for some fresh air. She moved out onto the porch outside and took in a deep breath, enjoying the cool as she stared outside, enjoying herself.

"So." Melissa's voice startled her. "How exactly did you switch?"

Chloe turned to look at her in surprise. "How long have you known?"

"Faye doesn't own that necklace. I know every single one of her pieces by heart and that ain't one of them." Melissa pointed to the one John had given Chloe. "And anyway, Faye would have probably grabbed Cassie's hair earlier on."

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head, Jake having said something similar. "What's the issue between them?"

"No idea, really," Melissa admitted. "Sometimes, I think Faye feels she's being replaced."

Chloe nodded, staring ahead of her, placing the cup of spiked punch on the porch's railing.

"So how _did_ you switch?"

"Not sure." Chloe held onto her pendant. "I think – I just _wanted_ to."

"And it happened? Just like that?" Melissa sent her a curious look. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Me neither," Chloe admitted.

"Firstborn thing?" Melissa asked.

"Maybe, I don't know." The girl turned to look at the much shorter brunette. "He really likes you, you know. Clark, I mean."

Melissa blushed. "Does he now?" She smiled brightly. "Tell me more."

Chloe opened her mouth to do so, when she felt a jab of power sear through her chest, knocking the breath right out of her lungs.

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His hand was pressed hard over the crown of her head, his voice raising as he kept chanting the same words, power rising more and more with each repetition. "A promise I now collect... body, soul, intellect... Balcoin Firstborn crystal be... surrender to your destiny!"

"NO!" Faye screamed, trying to get out of his grip, the power seeming to want to tear her apart from the inside. "PLEASE! STOP IT!"

"Surrender to your destiny!" Lionel roared.

"PLEASE!" Faye closed her eyes tightly, the pain entering her bones. "CHLOE!"

"SURRENDER!"

"_**CHLOE**_!"

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The images in her head were killing her, confusing her, but Chloe was sure that they were real. Faye was in trouble, most probably because she was in Chloe's body.

"I have to go," Chloe whispered, nearly swaying as another wave of pain rushed through her. "Something's wrong with Faye."

"You really _aren't_ Faye," a voice whispered.

Melissa and Chloe turned to see Adam and Cassie standing there.

Chloe opened her mouth but then the pain was numbing, her knees collapsing as she grabbed her pendant, which flashed white, and by the time her knees hit the floor, she wasn't on the porch anymore, instead finding herself in a room with a man standing behind a bound Faye, trying to cast a spell on her. A spell which was torturing her and the fault for the pain Chloe was feeling.

He looked up when she appeared, eyes wide. "How did you get in here? It's impossible!"

Chloe pushed to her feet before pulling out the Agiels, despite knowing they were only for decoration, pointing one menacingly at him. "Step away from my friend."

"It _took_ you long enough," Faye groaned in pain. "I keep trying to tell this idiot I'm not really you but he's not getting it. Dumb fuck."

The man kept looking between them in confusion. "You're not a Balcoin. I know you. You belong to the Circle the other blonde Balcoin belongs to. You're nothing but a Chamberlain."

"Hey!" Faye snapped. "Don't diss my family!"

Chloe eyed the man, taking in his suit, his hair, the very way he held himself. She'd never met him, but she recognized him from the portrait in Luthorcorp. "Really, Mr Luthor, I would have expected a more _classy_ way of going about this. You disappoint me."

Lionel removed his hand from Faye's head, eyeing Chloe thoughtfully. "I would hate to disappoint a lovely young lady."

"You know, I've just gotten a hold of a certain bit of information that makes me question everything." Chloe held his gaze. "If one of the Six falls, the whole magical community does as well for some reason. It's why my family was never _truly_ extinguished, why they were protected, helped." She raised an eyebrow. "The Balcoins are _important_ to the Luthors because without us, you're just like any normal mortal. So _why_ hamper the chances of the Balcoin family returning to their former glory by asking for the Firstborn?" She took a step towards him, as did he towards her. "Why not ask for the youngest child? That way, you'd have a Balcoin with dark magic to work for you and you wouldn't be putting everyone on the line." There was a pause as she eyed him. "Makes me wonder what about this pact you haven't shared with anyone, Mr Luthor, including your son."

Lionel eyed her for a moment before smirking, giving a little bow. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Balcoin."

"Wish I could say the same, Mr Luthor, but to be truthful, this introduction leaves _much_ to be desired." She narrowed her eyes. "Now, if you excuse me, my friend and I are leaving." She went to move towards Faye when Lionel reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"A promise I now collect..."

"Chloe don't let him finish that!" Faye cried out.

The brunette in her body needn't have bothered, Chloe already slamming the Agiel into Lionel's chest. It was a prop, merely for decoration to finish the look, and yet she could _feel_ the power shooting out of her like millions of vaults of electricity, causing Lionel to yell and collapse to his knees.

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Davis grabbed his head, crying out as pain surged through his body.

"Davey?" Jason hurried to his friend as the dark haired man collapsed to the ground.

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Leaning over Lionel's body, which twitched erratically as if electricity was coursing through his veins, Chloe pressed the Agiel harder into his chest before using the other and slamming it into his head, knocking the leader of the Luthor Circle unconscious. She felt numb as she did these acts, feeling the magic inside of her reacting and acting, couldn't understand why he hadn't used his magic against her. Maybe he'd been in too much pain, she wasn't sure, but the blonde didn't care, putting the Agiels back into their holsters and stalking towards where Faye in her body was tied to a chair.

She paused before the _Colocasia Root_ powder before breaking the circle by disrupting the powder with her boot.

Immediately, Faye's magic worked and she broke her binds, the girl stumbling off of the chair and heading towards Lionel. "I'm going to kill him!"

Chloe caught her as she stumbled. "Maybe later. We need to get out of here."

"Well then, beam us up, Scotty." Faye grabbed her.

"It doesn't work like that." Chloe leveled her with a look. "I think that only worked because he was torturing my body, so it called my soul back."

"Great," Faye grumbled, letting go. "So, I'm guessing wherever we are is fully guarded."

"Most probably."

"Good." Faye grinned, cracking her knuckles. "I have some anger issues I need to work out."

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Lex sat in the dark of his office, staring at the scans of Chloe's body and brain when she'd been Enthralling Davis.

Jason had called to tell him about the situation with his father, Chloe, and now Davis.

He didn't move, just studied the scans once more.

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Faye was obviously enjoying getting back at the people responsible for kidnapping her, the brunette sending spell after spell as they fought their way through the guards. She was obviously made for chaos, loving every second of it as she swung around, sending spell after spell, not caring what (or who) got damaged. She was getting her revenge, and while that was all good, fighting with emotion left you at a disadvantage.

A witch crept up behind Faye, hitting her with a spell that knocked the unsuspecting girl to the ground, crying out.

Chloe's eyes widened and she grabbed her pendant, white flashing, and then she was dizzy and in pain for a second before that shield covered her completely, the blonde standing up, finally back in her own body. She smirked at the witch before turning her palms out at her sides, the shield exploding and sending a blast of power outwards that swept through the room, throwing everyone back but Faye, around whom another one of Chloe's shield had been erected.

The brunette, in her own body, eyed the blonde in awe as the shield shattered, no longer needed. "_That was so cool_."

Chloe turned towards her. "We need to go now. These were just pawns. I have a feeling the other chess pieces are right behind."

"Chess pieces?" And yet Faye followed her as they continued moving. "How do you even know where to go?"

"Because I've been here before." Chloe brought a hand to her head, shaking the pain searing through it. "I don't know when, I don't remember it, but somehow I _know_ this building." She turned and opened a door. "Through here."

Faye slipped in without question, the lights turning on to reveal a spiral staircase. "Good call, boss!"

Chloe rolled her eyes, walking past her and beginning the descent.

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**TBC**


	48. Escape

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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_"I, John Balcoin__,__ do swear by lineage and blood, by magic dark and wild, to hand over to the Luthor Circle my Firstborn child. Whether male or female__,__ take no mind, this oath I swear intending to bind, my Firstborn to the Luthor Circle given, in exchange for my successful mission. Lineage and blood, magic dark and wild, all within this Balcoin child, joined forever to the Luthor Circle from first awakening to eternal slumber, a living crystal to strengthen their numbers."_

The pact kept repeating in Chloe's mind as they made their descent down the glass, spiral staircase. Images of her hurrying down this very staircase kept flashing before her eyes, the blonde unable to remember when she could have ever been in this place before, and her head hurt every single time one of those flashes happened in front of her. In the confusion, she missed a step and would have gone hurtling down the long flight of stairs had Faye's hand not reached out and curled around Chloe's arm, holding her in place.

Chloe grabbed hold of the railing and turned her head to smile at Faye when the images flashing in front of her showed a reflection in the glass; a reflection not her own, causing Chloe's eyes to widen as she realized something that had her reeling. "I was never here before."

"But you just said-" Faye frowned.

"_I_ was never here." Chloe brought a hand up to her head. "But my father _was_."

Faye still looked confused. Then again, she didn't know that John's magic had been trapped in that crystal as well as Francis Balcoin's and was now residing within Chloe.

These weren't her memories she was seeing; they were _John's_.

Chloe looked up at Faye, urgency rising in her chest. "Come on. We have to hurry."

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"So, we're not going to do anything?" Jason stared at Lex's visage from the screen, unable to believe it. "You know better than I where she'd be right now and-"

"We will stay where we are," Lex interrupted, emotionlessly. "The game's over, Jason. Our parents won."

"This isn't a _game_ Lex." Jason glared. "You _know_ that she's better off with us than with our parents."

Something odd passed over Lex's face. "We don't do anything. That's an order."

And with that he ended the communication.

"Son of a bitch!" Jason snapped, pushing away from the desk.

Davis sat in silence, eyeing Jason oddly. "I don't feel the pain anymore. She could have already been claimed."

"Why do you feel things that relate to her?" Jason turned to Davis, frustration rolling in his throat. "You're not a Balcoin and you're not a part of her Circle. So why the _hell_ do you have a connection with her?"

Davis' eyebrow rose. "Are you jealous?"

Something about that made Jason's stomach curl. "Jealous?"

"Yeah, jealous." Davis smirked. "You seem jealous." He leaned forward, something dark flashing in his eyes. "You've never been the jealous type before." His smirk grew. "Feeling insecure, are we?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Jason snarled before storming out.

Davis leaned back on his seat, dark amusement dancing in his eyes.

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They made it out of the stairwell and onto the ground floor. It was made out of white tile; highly modern and terribly cold. The girls could see a glass door a good distance ahead of them from which sunlight streamed in. This was their way out. They exchanged looks before hurrying towards the door at the far end of the room only for them to cry out as their feet stuck to the ground, the girls nearly falling and only just managing to stay tall.

Around them, doors they hadn't noticed opened, four older people appearing.

The other people from Luthor's Circle.

Chloe had a sinking feeling that Patricia's father was the missing person and she hoped to god that he hadn't been discovered as the one behind his daughter's actions and "dealt" with.

"Oh, great. Attack of the grandparents part 2," Faye smart-mouthed, trying to get her shoes free from the floor and yet unable to move an inch.

Chloe could somehow make out which were Jason's parents, the boy being a perfect mixture of the two on the left. There was a dark haired woman who reminded her of Davis, so this had to be his mother, and a blonde man who had to be Oliver's father considering Tess belonged to Luthor. She'd just knocked out Lex's father and now she'd have to battle the others' parents as well.

This could seriously turn on her like a pack of rabid dogs.

There was no winning, especially when the rules of the game were forever against her.

She gave her feet a little jerk, yet the shoes were firmly stuck to the ground... The ground which the people were now walking towards them on. "Take off your shoes."

"What?" Faye made a face. "I do _not_ want my _feet_ stuck to this floor!"

"Take them _off_," Chloe ordered, reaching down and undoing the straps of the shoes she was wearing, shoes she was _sure_ hadn't been in her closet this morning. The blonde stepped out of them with confidence, her feet finding the floor cold but not intolerable and definitely not sticky.

Faye's eyes widened as she hurried to undo the laces of her boots.

Chloe took a step towards the four. "Let us go and you won't get hurt."

Jason's mother took a step towards her, beautiful and elegant, and yet her eyes... those eyes were deadly. "You're home, darling. You're not going anywhere."

"We don't want to hurt you," Davis' mother added. "But we _will_ if you make us."

"The only reason I'd _make_ you is if you try to stop us from leaving," Chloe promised them as Faye finally freed herself and joined her at her side. "And believe me, I'm not the one who is going to be hurt."

Oliver's father chuckled. "I like you."

"Let's all go upstairs and finish this once and for all." Jason's father took a step closer. "It's time for you to accept what's going to happen to you and stop fighting it. It'll be better for you in the long run." He took a step towards her.

"Come closer and you'll regret it." Chloe felt the need to warn him for Jason's sake.

He didn't listen, coming closer.

Chloe narrowed her eyes, the building beginning to shake.

He stopped, looking around him as everyone did the same.

Faye's eyes widened, stepping closer to Chloe as the shield from before domed over them as dust began to rain down on them, betraying its presence.

"This is your destiny, you were _promised_ for this," Davis' mother spoke. "Don't fight it, little girl. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

The shaking grew worse, cracks beginning to appear on the tiles all around them.

Jason's mother turned her multicolored eyes on Chloe and it was all the blonde could do to keep from staggering backwards as the force of her magic hit the shield. The older woman could obviously sense it because she smirked.

Faye cracked her knuckles once more. "Leave granny to me. She and I have unresolved issues." Faye reached out and pressed her hands against the inside of the domed shield, smirking as she added her own magic to it, fortifying the shield and taking some of the burden off of Chloe and giving her more room to put power into the shaking of the building, which was damned hard.

The shield glowed bright red, spikes of power physically erupting from it, forcing the adults to take a couple of careful steps backwards.

A crack ran through the floor and up one of the walls.

A trail of blood began to trickle out of Chloe's right nostril but she ignored it, closing her eyes as she continued to focus on the walls and on the floor.

"This magic is too strong for someone as inexperienced as you to try to wield," Jason's father announced. "You'll end up hurting yourself. Stop it this instant."

"Don't be foolish, girl," Davis' mother snapped as a piece of the ceiling above separated enough for one to be able to look through the floors. "You'll kill us all. Your shield won't hold the weight of four floors."

Chloe didn't answer, merely clenched her shaking fists, that trickle of blood growing as well as the cracks on the walls and the upper floors above them.

A bit of the floor collapsed behind them causing Faye to gasp and turn to look behind her, mouth wide in a shocked smile.

Chloe's head was killing her, her solar plexus seeming to _throb_...

Suddenly the four collapsed as one on the ground, unconscious.

Faye blinked. "What just happened?"

An unfamiliar voice spoke. "I've sedated them. It'll only last for a couple of minutes at the most so you should try and escape now."

The girls turned to see a handsome young man standing in the doorway watching them.

Chloe eyed him, motioning with Faye to follow as the girls hurried towards the door. The building stopped its shaking but was structurally damaged. "Why did you help us?"

"And who are you?" Faye wanted to know.

"Name's Julian." He didn't outstretch his hand in greeting, both hands in the pockets of his expensive looking jacket. "And let's just say I like this place and didn't want you destroying it. Plus." He shrugged. "My old man's still inside here somewhere." He eyed them curiously. "Or did you kill him? Because I would have expected that to be the only reason he's not here yelling "SURRENDER"."

"Unfortunately, he's alive." Faye grumbled.

Chloe's eyes widened, wiping at the blood on her face. "You're Lex's brother?"

"Whenever either of us find it convenient." Julian raised an eyebrow, eyeing her. "Today, he found it convenient." He shrugged, nonplussed. "I had a debt to pay so I guess now we're straight."

Chloe paused, eyeing him in shock. "_Lex_ sent you to help us?"

"Why not come himself?" Faye wanted to know.

"Let's just say, I mightn't be the oldest of Lionel's children, but I _am_ the only one working autonomously. Considering I don't receive anything from the Luthors, and should anything happen to Lex I'd be the next in line, I get away with more than my older brother ever could." He motioned with his chin for them to follow him as he strolled out of the building, almost without a care, to where a vehicle and driver were waiting on them. "Yan will take you to Smallville, but dad knows about you now so I wouldn't feel too safe if I were you."

"Nice ride." Faye ignored the warning, slipping into the car. "I need a ride to the airport. And a plane ticket out to Chance Harbor. Like. Now."

"That can be arranged." Julian nodded to the driver, who nodded back.

"Thank you." Chloe cleared her throat. "No matter what the reason was, thank you."

His lips curled in a smirk. "Well, you had things handled. I just made sure that you didn't kill anyone I'd be compelled to attend a funeral for."

She smiled at him before slipping into the car.

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"Yan called, he had our man in American Airlines get the Chamberlain girl a ticket back to Chance Harbor. Apparently the reason she was there was because she switched bodies temporarily with your little Balcoin, who wanted one normal day." There was a pause. "Anyway, they're waiting at the airport for her flight to leave and then Yan will bring the Balcoin girl straight to you. I figured you'd want to see her."

Lex continued to eye his screens, storing away the information that apparently Chloe could body snatch. "How's dad?"

"Concussed." Julian didn't sound too worried. "He is suspicious that I helped them escape, but considering the fact that if I hadn't stepped in everyone would most probably have died, he hasn't said anything. I doubt he will."

Lex eyed the phone, which was on speaker, before shaking his head as he began typing. "You've done well."

"Now I can die in peace." The sarcasm was dripping from every word before he cleared his throat. "Are you sure you're not getting over your bald head with this girl?"

"What?" Lex eyed the results on his screen. "You don't think I can handle her?"

"_Dad_ couldn't handle her," Julian replied point blank. "If she's blood-bound to us, then why was he unable to finish the binding?"

Lex finally looked up at that. "You mean he attempted the binding process?"

"Yes. He isn't saying much, but he _did_ attempt to bind the body the other girl inhabited, which called the Balcoin soul in the Chamberlain body to the location they were in. He also tried with her body but she knocked him out before he could finish the chant." Julian sounded amused. "I've forwarded you a video file I got from security cameras inside and you can watch it for yourself. It'll bring a little smile to that blackened heart."

Lex received the email and began downloading the file attached that was named: _Wish I Could Have Seen This When It Happened_.

The second the footage downloaded, a screen popped up and began playing, showing their father trying to bind Chloe, who was crying out her own name.

"Be careful, brother. I think there's more to this Balcoin issue than we've been told," Julian warned.

Lex watched Faye appear, watched the confrontation between his father and the girl and eyed the takedown, surprised at the relative ease in which the girl managed to do what she did.

"Now _this part_ will interest you." Julian could obviously hear the footage in the background.

Lex watched as the girls battled the remnants of his father's Circle now that Patricia's father had disappeared oh so conveniently. His eyes widened and he brought a hand to his mouth, watching the very foundations of the magically protected building shake and crack.

"And now, look at this part."

The footage then returned to above where Lionel was awake on the floor, smiling.

Lex narrowed his eyes.

"I'd be very careful if I were you." Julian sounded uncharacteristically concerned. "There's obviously more going on than meets the eye."

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Faye was getting a lot of attention in the airport for her outfit, but she was apparently quite used to being the center of attention and so the brunette didn't even seem to notice all the eyes on her. The brunette had bought some shoes from one of the stores in the airport (Chloe as well) and the two waited together, Chloe not wanting to go until she was sure the other girl was safely on the plane. They kept giving Yan (who stood some distance away) quick looks while they spoke.

"Get Lex to buy you a new phone once you get back. He owes it to you," Faye instructed her, hands on her hips. "It's his fault yours got lost while your body was being kidnapped."

Chloe wasn't going to ask Lex to get her anything, but she just nodded so Faye wouldn't press the issue. "Sorry about all the trouble I got you into." She shook her head, smiling wryly. "It was stupid to think that I could have a day without something dangerous happening. And I put you at risk because of my own selfishness."

Faye made a face, scratching her chin. "Well, I'm not going to lie and say that it was _fun_ during the last part of it, but, uh, you know how I mentioned that Freaky Fridays usually happen in the movies because the parties needed to learn something from the experience?"

"Don't tell me you got some sort of epiphany." Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"I did, actually." Faye made a face. "Being a Balcoin _sucks_ and I'm glad I was born a Chamberlain. We mightn't have all that fancy dark magic, but we also don't have the shit happening to us that you guys do." She looked away. "I used to think that the magic was worth it, but now I'm beginning to doubt that." Her hazels returned to Chloe. "Don't get me wrong, I still think that dark magic is _totally_ wasted on Cassie and I'd have _much_ more fun with it."

Chloe shook her head at the other girl.

"So, despite the torture, today was nice, huh?" Faye was apparently able to bounce back quite quickly. "I went shopping with the guys, used them as slaves, and they didn't complain once." Amusement flashed in her orbs, her dimple going deep. "Being the boss has its perks."

"I'm not the boss," Chloe corrected

Faye just mock saluted her in defiance.

Rolling her green orbs, Chloe chuckled. "All things considering, I _did_ have fun today. The party was great."

"Damn, I missed it." Faye made a face before shrugging. "Whatever." The flight attendant announced over the speaker system that Faye's flight was beginning boarding for its first class passengers. "That's me." The brunette gave a crooked smile. "So, you know, if you want to re-live some other '80s movie and don't have someone to go along for the ride, I'm always up for some magicky fun." She began backing away. "But let's do something more along the lines of Teen Witch and less Friday the 13th next time."

"That sounds like fun." Chloe smiled.

Faye merely flashed her a smirk before turning and walking away, sending a backwards wave as she passed the flight attendant her first class ticket and boarded the plan.

Chloe stayed there, hugging herself, and only once the plane took off did she head towards a pay-phone and reached into her pockets for change.

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"She's fine." Whitney entered the living room where Diana, Greg, Gabe and Moira were accumulated trying to draw up some sort of plan. "She said she'll explain everything when she gets back, but that we shouldn't worry if she's late. She has something she has to do first."

Gabe frowned, standing. "How did she get away? If Lionel had her-"

"She should have been bound by now," Moira finished.

"Who _cares_?" Diana wanted to know, standing and going to the window, gazing out as she hugged herself tightly. "She's fine. That's all that matters."

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Chloe found him in the study, going over what looked like scans of brain waves. She figured that it was scans of her brain during the moments she'd Enthralled Davis and it caused her to pause as she stared at them as well. Since Lex was ignoring her presence in his room, she ignored him as well as she joined his side to get a better view of the scans as well as another image that actually mapped out her brain and the areas that'd been active.

She eyed the scans, tilting her head to the side as she stared at them. "There's heightened activity in the limbic system."

He leaned back harder on his seat, clasping his hands together on his chest. "What does that tell you?"

"Well, the limbic system is the part of the brain that controls emotions and dreams and such, so I guess that makes sense." Chloe made a face, leaning down to get a better look at the smaller screen on the table he sat at. "Also, look how the Hypothalamus is a completely different color than the rest of my brain. It feeds information to the Amygdala and acts like a regulator of emotion; controlling levels of sexual desire, pleasure, aggression and anger." Her eyes widened and a smile tilted her lips. "I wish we'd gotten a scan of Davis' brain at the same time because I _bet_ you _my_ Hypothalamus was somehow transmitting information to _his_." She bit down on her bottom lip, grinning at finally having _some_ sort of progress on her ability to Enthrall. "This is amazing. I can't believe those sensors got all this information from me."

There was silence.

Chloe finally tore her gaze from the screen and turned her greens on Lex, finding him watching her intently. "What?"

"Nothing." Lex's blue gaze turned to the screen once more as he took in a deep breath. "According to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, two parts of the brain, the insula and striatum, are responsible for tracking the way in which sexual desire develops into feelings of love. Lust triggers parts of the brain that controls pleasurable feelings, associated with sex and food, while love triggers parts of the brain associated with habits."

"How unromantic," she commented.

He ignored that. "From what I've observed of the men you Enthrall, your ability not only makes them want you, but they truly believe that they are in love with you. So your ability must target both parts of the brain simultaneously. What's interesting is this." He turned his gaze back on her. "The brain treats love like a habit that has been formed over time, so after lust may come love, and those feelings of love move to a different part of the brain that processes habits and reward patterns." His lips curled. "It's the same brain pattern you would find if someone became a drug addict."

"I'm addictive." Chloe was shocked at the fact that she'd forgotten John's warnings about that very thing, the blonde bringing her hand to her head.

"All things considered, I would appreciate it if you do not dose up my boys again."

She fixed him with a glare. "I didn't Enthrall Jason or Davis on purpose. Well, Davis was on purpose, but I didn't know he was one of _yours_."

"I understand that, but I would prefer it if we tried a different subject. One I don't need having his full wits," Lex replied, eyeing her thoughtfully. "I'd also like to recreate our experiment and see why my brain isn't affected by yours."

Chloe could feel a blush forming on her neck but she ignored it. "Fine."

"Good." He nodded, gaze going back to the screen.

Silence fell between them.

She waited for him to ask about her kidnapping, about Patricia, about what had happened with his father, about _something_. But Lex just remained silent.

Chloe cleared her throat. "About earlier, what you did for me-"

"It was in my interest to keep you from working for my father," Lex interrupted.

Rolling her eyes, Chloe went around the desk and pulled the chair back to where he was, plopping down on it. "So what else have you figured out from these scans? Jason says you've been in here ever since that day. You must have learned more than you are sharing with me."

"It's all very technical. You'd be bored." Lex's gaze was on the scans. "It would probably fly over your head anyway."

She smirked, sending him a sideways glance. "Then school me, Professor."

His lips twitched slightly yet he cleared his throat and reached out to type something into the keyboard. "Pay close attention, I don't repeat myself."

Getting comfortable in the seat, Chloe watched and listened attentively as Lex began.

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**TBC**


	49. Steps Forward

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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She couldn't understand why Lex hadn't asked her about Patricia and the group who'd kidnapped her. Greg and the others had informed her that Lex now knew that his girlfriend was actually still alive and if the blonde had been in his shoes, she wouldn't have been handling it as he was. She'd be a wreck. She'd be pissed. She'd be _curious_. She'd also ask him everything he knew if he'd seen her supposedly dead boyfriend. And the last couple of times she'd met with Lex, it had all been business, with him focusing on studying her ability to Enthrall others, bringing some nameless guys along for her to kiss and he'd gotten enough information to know that _yes_, her brain _was_ basically talking to those of her victims' as they'd suspected.

Her victim's Amygdala was definitely much more affected than she'd expected. Still, the Amygdala was important for making associations across stimulus modalities (such as a certain scent bringing an associated visual image to one's mind) and seemed to be responsible for the influence of emotional states on sensory inputs.

The last couple of days had been without a Trial and without any word or movement from Lionel Luthor's camp, and while Chloe was glad that she had a little break, the blonde was ever on the alert, feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

"So the school's reopening in a couple of days?" Faye asked. "That sucks."

"Well, our education would suffer if we had to wait much longer." Chloe, new phone in hand, walked down the street to where the group had decided to meet at the Beanery to have lunch together. "Just the _thought_ of all the catching up we'll have to do as it is – daunting."

"That's the price you pay for such a long vacation while the rest of us have to slave over text books." Faye had absolutely no pity. "Well, I gotta go. Talk to you later."

"You too." Chloe ended the conversation and threw her phone in her bag, looking through it to get something, when she noticed someone stop in front of her. The blonde paused for a second before raising her gaze, surprised at who it was. "Tina."

Tina Greer had never liked her. Then again, Tina Greer had never liked anyone who wasn't Lana Lang, but the dislike towards Chloe had become obvious ever since the blonde had started hanging around Lana and Nell had ordered the brunette not to hang around Tina anymore.

"Is Lana okay?" Tina finally spoke, looking very uncomfortable. "She left with Nell so abruptly and now Nell is here but she isn't and Nell won't tell me anything and, well, I'm worried."

Chloe eyed the brunette, licking her lips as she thought of exactly how to answer. "The last I heard from her, she was fine, but I haven't really heard from her in a little bit."

"What if she's hurt?" Tina asked softly.

Chloe eyed the girl thoughtfully. "You're a good friend."

The brunette's eyes widened in shock, obviously not having expected that.

"Despite the issues you two have been having, you're still so worried about her." Chloe reached out and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Lana's got Pete to look after her. They're fine, don't worry about her. The two of them will return here and she'll have a lot to tell you." She stared into Tina's eyes. "Just know that the reason she wasn't able to hang with you before she left wasn't because she didn't want to. She missed you as a friend."

"Really?" Tina gulped.

Chloe nodded, smiling softly as she let her hand fall to her side. "Also, don't mind Nell, she's got a stick stuck up her-"

Tina laughed, nodding. "She _does_."

The two girls shared a smile for the first time ever.

"Well, I have some place to be." Chloe moved around Tina, looking back in her bag.

"Chloe?" Tina called from behind her.

Chloe turned once more to eye her. "Yeah?"

Tina seemed to be thinking of something before she took in a deep breath. "I'm dating Justin Gaines."

Chloe's eyes widened and she smiled in shock. "Really? That's awesome! I'm so glad for the both of you."

Tina blinked, completely shocked. "You don't mind?"

Chloe tilted her head to the side. "Why would I?"

Tina eyed her before slowly smiling, shaking her head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. See you later, Chloe." And with that, Tina walked away.

The blonde watched her go, smiling at the fact that two of the loneliest students in Smallville High (she should _really_ start thinking of it as Luthor Academy) had managed to find each other.

"So you have time to talk to the likes of Tina Greer, but you don't have the time to talk to _me_ and catch me up on what's been happening to the Circle in my absence," a voice declared behind her.

Chloe closed her eyes, trying to tell herself not to groan as she turned to face Nell Potter. "Hello."

"Don't 'hello' me, young lady," Nell snapped, arms folded over her chest, face impassive. "Ever since I arrived in town, I've been knocked out, abandoned on my shop floor and then repeatedly kept out of the loop of things I should be on top of. Even _Whitney_ hasn't returned my phone calls. I don't care if things got sloppy during my absence but I'm back in charge now and-"

Chloe couldn't stop the laughter.

Nell's eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"

"You're not in charge of anything or anyone," Chloe replied. She had to put up with so much crap for too long to deal with Nell and _her_ crap silently. "You never were and you're not going to be. Not of _us_ at least. And considering that Lana ran away from you, she's sick and tired of your tyrannical behavior as well."

"Now listen here, the Thoreaux-"

"Only have two people in their Circle and both of them are under _Lana's_ leadership," Chloe interrupted her. "You want a Circle to control so much, get your own."

"You little!" Nell grabbed Chloe's arm and yanked her off of the street into a darkened, secluded alleyway, a large garbage container the only thing there. "I don't know what's gotten into you but-"

Chloe jerked her arm out of Nell's grip. "Don't _ever_ put your hands on me. Or your magic."

Nell shook her head at her. "You've gotten mouthier."

"I have less tolerance for crap now," Chloe responded easily. "Look. I took care of your shop, it's just as spick and span as when you left it, and if anything I got you more business. So let's just do this civilly and you repay my good work by never trying to talk to me again. How does that sound?"

"You don't seem to understand that even if you're a Balcoin, you're also a Hibbins, and as a Hibbins, you answer to _my _family. You answer to _me_." Nell raised her chin. "You are a part of _my niece's_ Circle, and in her absence, _I_ am in control. So you'd better lose your attitude and get in line, little girl."

Chloe was sick and tired of people telling her she was a part of their Circle whether she wanted to be or not. "No."

"No?" Nell sneered.

"No," she repeated.

"I would rethink my attitude if I were you before you get reminded of the fact that I am a direct descendant of Countess Marguerite Isobel Thoreaux and that in Lana's absence, I _am_ your superior."

Chloe smiled ugly at her. If she could take on Lionel Luthor, who had a legitimate hold over her, there was no way she was going to be intimidated by this woman. "I'm a direct descendant of Francis Balcoin. Your ancestor used to grovel at _my_ ancestor's feet." She could feel bits and piece of that other Chloe, the one from the fantasy, still under her skin. "In the eyes of _my_ ancestors, yours were only superior, and not by very much, to a _Dabbler_."

Nell's eyes flashed in fury. "You little-!"

"You need to rethink what you're planning on doing next." Chloe took a menacing step towards Nell. "Last time you used your magic against me, I only threw you across the room." She channeled Faye's smirk as she leaned forwards, lowering her voice. "I've learnt a _few_ new tricks since then."

Nell sneered but did nothing.

"Welcome back to Smallville." Chloe turned and began walking away before suddenly she heard whispered words and felt her chest starting to constrict. "_You_-" Chloe turned around to find Nell holding her hand out towards her, whispering. "_Stupid-_" The blonde flung her arm to the side and Nell's mouth opened in a mute cry as she was flung into the wall. And then, when Chloe swished her wrist in the opposite direction, the woman flew into the opposite wall, cry still inaudible. "_Old hag_." The lid of the large garbage container opened and Nell's body rose before being flung inside, the lid closing after the sound of her hitting garbage bags could be heard.

The blonde's magic wanted her to be more drastic, to at least seal the trashcan shut so the woman was trapped in there with very little to no oxygen, but Chloe put down the desire and walked away. More and more, she could feel her cool giving way, and it worried her because she didn't know how much more she could take before she seriously snapped.

Rubbing her arm, the feeling of angst growing inside of her, Chloe ignored those around her as she exited the alley and joined the pedestrians, losing herself in the crowd. She wanted to not think about her issues for a second, but her mind kept going to the binding ceremony that Lionel Luthor had tried on her body, and then on her soul in Faye's body. The blonde couldn't help but wonder if the reason it hadn't been successful was because her soul and body had been separated during the intended claiming. And if she was wondering this, she knew that Lionel and Lex must have both thought of it already, and so she was taking Julian's warning to heart and not even _pretending_ to feel safe.

Up ahead of her she noticed Van, who she hadn't seen in quite a while, standing, staring into an alleyway with a blank expression on his face before he turned and stormed away.

Chloe's eyes narrowed in confusion as she pushed passed the crowd and reached the alleyway, staring in, eyes widening at what she saw within. Despite Dawn's reassurance that Van's jealousy had been without reason, the blonde was pressing Brent Greene against the alley wall and engaging in some serious face sucking. Chloe couldn't think of any word to describe the sloppy thing she was witnessing.

Disgust rolled in her stomach, Chloe turning to look in the direction Van had disappeared in before turning her attention back to the alley way and the couple in them, who'd just made a very disturbing groaning sound.

Eyeing around her to make sure no one was looking, Chloe slipped into the alleyway and held her hands up, palms facing each other before she separated them more and then brought them together in a loud clap. Dawn and Brent's heads yanked away from the other before slamming together, the teenagers cursing as they doubled over, holding their heads.

Chloe slipped back into the crowd, unseen, feeling slightly vindicated but _really_ bad for Van. She'd been so busy with her own stuff, she'd let their friendship slip when he needed a friend the most and she was going to have to do better and work towards maintaining his friendship.

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"I can't explain it," Tess hugged the comforter around her tighter, her face and body sporting ugly bruises. "It's like we registered the pain, but it really wasn't pain, just discomfort." The redhead's gaze went to where Oliver sat silently in the corner, staring out of the window. He hadn't spoken much since they'd gotten back and she had a feeling she knew why that was. "Whatever it is that she slipped us, it protected us from the worst of it."

"You're not actually taking her side..." Davis frowned, leaning forward.

"No, what Patricia did was wrong and she'll never be accepted back into our Circle ever," Tess assured him, eyeing the line where her finger had been re-attached. The scar would forever betray what she'd gone through. "But, she _did_ set us free when they would have killed us."

"I still can't believe she turned on us," Jason whispered, leaning against the wall. "Why would she do something like this?"

"For the Firstborn," Tess replied easily. "I-she said something that I don't know whether I should believe or not, but I feel she was telling the truth."

Lex was silent, sitting across from her, still like a stone.

"She said that the magical community depended on the Balcoins; that the Six Original Witch Families are, I guess you could say that they are similar to crystals of power. Like the different pieces of crystal had to come together to form the Balcoin crystal skull, the Six are a unit. If one falters then they all do. It's why the Balcoins have been protected all this time." She made a face, eyeing her brother. "Have you ever heard anything about this from father?"

Lex shook his head, expression pensive. "No."

"That doesn't make any sense considering that John Balcoin tried to kill us _all_. He would have destroyed the Six and magic at the same time." Davis pointed out.

"Not according to Patty." Tess shook her head. "She said that there were groups, _large_ groups, within each of the Six clans, who had sided with John and were to be untouched. She said they were more than willing to work with him. The Six would still be intact, and yet a whole new rulership would be established."

There was silence as the young adults digested this news.

"Patty said that her father had trained her from birth so that she could do this; prepared her to defend the Balcoins because only if they grow strong again can we regain the strength of magic that we've lost ever since their near extinction as a clan," Tess continued. "Said that Chloe couldn't be bound to our family because it'd be the beginning of the end of our magic."

"That's stupid." Jason frowned. "She has five other siblings who could take over should she be taken."

"Patricia doesn't think so, neither do the psychopaths she's working with." Tess ran her fingers through her hair. "They believe that only with Chloe leading the Balcoin family can things – I don't know. But they're more than willing to kill every single one of us if it means she doesn't have a master left to threaten her taking over her own Circle." She paused. "Patricia helped us escape because, I believe, she was trying to convince us not to fight against their cause, to get us to see her reasons for the things she has done and will continue doing in the Balcoin name. But if we don't stop our mission to bind the Balcion Firstborn I know without a doubt that Patty won't be benevolent next time."

"You've seen this girl, spoken to her," Oliver finally spoke. "Is she really all that special or has Patty just gone insane?"

"She's special," Davis announced a little too quickly before clearing his throat. "I mightn't have ever seen her face, or been properly introduced, but the feeling of that Enthrallment – I can't describe it."

Jason sent him a little look before clearing his throat. "It's not just her Enthrallment, man. There's just something about her. She's smart and pretty and wickedly funny."

"Does Jace have a _crush_?" Tess raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying it as it is." He looked away, folding his arms over his chest.

Her lips curled in a smirk.

Oliver was far from amused, gaze going to Lex. "_Lex_?"

"That girl not only stopped my father while he was trying to bind her to him, but she knocked him out and would have brought father's Metropolis place down had Julian not stepped in..." Lex paused, thinking it over. "She possesses immense power within her that she's not even begun to understand, much less _use_. For a girl of her age, she's incredibly mature, collected, and her brain is fascinatingly sharp; it soaks in complex information like a sponge." His gaze went to Jason before turning to Oliver. "She's a puzzle I have yet to solve."

Oliver eyed him before looking away, returning to silence once more.

"Now I'd _really_ like to meet this girl." Tess knew she was taking this whole thing much better than Oliver, but she was a Luthor, and Luthors didn't dwell. They pushed on. "My big brother _never_ thinks anyone is special."

"What if Patricia's right?" Davis suddenly changed the subject, bringing everyone's attention to him. "What if the Six somehow are tied to magic and if one of the Six falls forever, magic will disappear?"

"It would make no sense if that were true." Jason frowned. "I mean, _why_ would Lex's dad want to take her so badly if it could potentially mean that he lost his power? I don't see that happening."

"I agree." Tess nodded. "If that was so, I could see him instead bargaining for a younger sibling maybe."

"Not only that, but I doubt John would put his whole family at risk like that for no good reason other than passing his Trials." Lex frowned, deep in thought. "If that were true then father would have helped John just so that magic would still exist; there is no way that my father would ever risk living the life of a normal mortal."

"That's a valid point." Tess sighed, leaning harder back on the sofa. "So maybe Patricia's just been brainwashed."

"Or maybe there's more to the pact than we've been told." Lex eyed his Circle mates, Julian's words and the image of his father smiling haunting him. "Maybe we only know a part of the story, or a version of it."

"You think they're lying?" Jason pushed away from the wall. "But if so, why would they kidnap her to try and bind the Circle?"

"Something isn't right," Lex informed them, the feeling in his gut growing. "I think, to quote the Arkin boy, we're being played."

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After eating at the Beanery, the group had swung by the garbage dump because, according to _Greg_, people threw away priceless junk that was still usable and, considering they were broke, "beggars can't be choosers". Chloe and Diana stayed back, pinching their noses shut as a grumbling Whitney and amused Greg eyed the furniture that had been brought to the dump. Most of the pieces were broken or had something hopelessly wrong with them, but there were a couple of tables and seats that were actually salvageable – if they could get the stench out of them.

Finally, the back of Whitney's truck was loaded with a bookshelf that was actually in mint condition (if you didn't count the marks on the side that read: 'Dylan, Age 5, Dylan, Age 6', etc), two mismatched side tables, and a poster of a naked woman in a provocative position that Greg had decided to, by hook or crook, sneak into his bedroom.

The teens then piled into Whitney's truck and rode all the way to the Balcoin Caves, the girls leaving the boys to handle the overly large bookshelf while they took a side table each as they entered through one of the hidden veins. Lights were summoned, the girls giggling at the arguing boys as they slowly made their way to the main cavern and then took a left to a good sized cave adjacent to it. This cave was one of the least humid of the many different caverns, and offered a large open space coupled with a smooth floor.

In the middle of the cavern, resting on the floor, were some boxes they'd already brought over with their books and such.

Considering that the Talon was now being considered "Thoreaux Circle Territory", especially now that Nell was back, the group had decided that the best place to start up their own base was in the caves. Not only were they hidden and private, but they didn't seem to allow passage to anyone Chloe didn't want inside. That made it one of the safest places.

Greg and Whitney groaned as they finally were able to rest the overly large bookshelf on the floor, pressed up against the smooth wall.

Diana had already abandoned her side table and instead was sitting on the ground, browsing through one of the boxes of her things that the Circle from Chance Harbor had brought for her.

Already in the room was a table they'd managed to save from the dump two days earlier, and it was already covered with different magical tools.

What they really needed now were a couple of really comfortable places to sit. Greg had mentioned bean bags, and while they weren't exactly the comfiest in Chloe's mind, they seemed like the smartest option considering their budget and the fact that neither of the girls wanted to sit on something that'd been in the dump.

"She really _is_ cheating on him?" Diana gasped, not having met Dawn or Van but up to date with the situation thanks to Chloe. "That's horrible! You were going crazy trying to think of an original way to get them back together."

"All that mental anguish for nothing," Chloe mourned, eyeing the book in her hand as she helped Diana begin to place them on the book shelf. She paused and flipped through the pages, and yet they were in old German and there were no pictures to give a hint as to what the writing was about. "Whitney, is this a bestiary or a herbology book?"

Whitney looked up from where he was bringing a box of books closer for them, eyeing the book in her hand which was one of the ones he'd contributed to their slowly growing collection. "Herbology."

"I'm going to try and put all of the herbology in this section here and the bestiaries in that one." She motioned to the parts she was referring to.

"Why don't I handle those since it'll take you longer to try and figure which is which?" Whitney offered. "More than a couple of them are in old German, and out of all of us I'm the only one who can read it." He snorted. "One good thing my father did for me I guess, making sure I could read and speak it since I was a kid."

"Thanks." She smiled as she handed him the books, giving his back a little pat before going to another box and pulling out a package, eyeing it as she took in a deep breath.

Greg raised an eyebrow, coming to stand next to her, eyeing the wrapped package. "What's all the sighing about?"

"I asked my mother about the Hibbins book of shadows," she admitted, everyone turning their gazes on her, in particular Whitney who'd spent much of his time with her searching for it. "She had it with her the whole time."

"Is that it?" Diana asked curiously, eyeing the package.

"No," Whitney answered, recognition on his features. "That's what John Balcoin sent her to Edge City for. He died before he could give her an address to send it to him."

Greg's eyes widened. "Have you opened it? Do you know what it is?"

"I don't need to. Somehow, somehow I _know_ what this is." Chloe tightened her grip on the package. "Deep down inside, I've _always_ known what it was."

"What is it?" Diana asked softly.

Chloe didn't answer, merely _finally_ tore the package open and pulled the contents free, silence falling on the teens as they drew closer to get a better look.

Whitney's eyes widened.

Diana brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped.

Greg blinked. "_Damn_."

There, in Chloe's hands, was the Balcoin book of shadows.

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**TBC**


	50. PART THREE: Trial & Verdict

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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The Balcoin book of shadows was surprisingly small considering it was supposed to hold knowledge and spells of many generations, but other than to place it on a special shelf on the bookcase next to Diana's much larger Meade book of shadows, Chloe didn't pay the book any mind. She wasn't ready to open it and find what was inside, instead concentrating on the three teenagers sitting on the dry cave floor, candles lit around them to cover the musty scent within.

Things had been so rocky for so long and yet here they were, acting as if nothing had happened.

Greg was laughing at something Diana was saying as if a little while ago he hadn't been pushing for the brunette to go back to Chance Harbor.

Diana was laughing as well, as if she'd forgotten the days she'd been ostracized due to the doubt she'd faced.

Whitney rolled his eyes at them and yet there was laughter in his blue eyes.

Chloe stared at those three and realized with a shock that this was her family.

This was her Circle.

There was no way she could keep denying it anymore, not when the truth was staring in her face so obviously.

This was her Circle.

_They_ were her Circle.

"Share the good news with us." Diana grinned brightly in her direction. "You seem to be miles away and enjoying yourself fully."

"Yeah, share with the class." Greg smirked.

"It's nothing." Chloe pulled a strand of blonde hair out of her face as she smiled at the others, suddenly feeling shy.

"Aw, come on." Whitney reached out and gave her arm a little pat. "Spill."

Chloe smiled at him, at _them_, and then licked her lips. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking that I love you guys."

Silence filled the room.

Chloe hurried to continue, clearing her throat. "Don't get any weird ideas or anything, but, you're family to me now. All of you." She stared at her nails, feeling quite embarrassed. "I just, it's – you guys mean a lot to me and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to admit it. To admit that while I don't want to ever be bound or limit anyone's abilities... that I still consider you my Circle."

There was silence as the three just looked at her in shock.

Chloe cleared her throat and looked away, not used to letting herself be this emotionally open and vulnerable.

Greg stood and came towards her before sitting on the floor right in front of her, his scarred hand held out between them.

Chloe gazed at it for a second before raising her gaze curiously to his face.

"I wanna do it." Greg wiggled his fingers. "I know you and Whitney did this binding-that-wasn't-a-binding thing. I want to do it too." He flashed her a grin. "It's not really binding, but it's an oath, right? It's just as meaningful, right? Your magics accept it as valid." He kept his hand between them. "It'll be our own special kind of binding for our own new type of Circle." His grin grew. "What do you say to that, Miss Balcoin?"

Chloe eyed his hand thoughtfully before her lips tilted and she reached out so that they were clasping the other's forearm, waiting for his brown orbs to meet hers intently before speaking. "By this blood oath I decree, sisterhood and fidelity. Should I renege on this decree, agony will forever accompany me."

For the first time since she'd known him, Greg was truly serious as he repeated her words. "By this blood oath I decree, brotherhood and fidelity. Should I renege on this decree, agony will forever accompany me."

Browns and greens stared deeply into each other as their magics jolted, the teens hissing as they held on tightly and rode out the pain in their joined hands, their palms and the flesh by their elbows feeling as if they'd been sliced and then cauterized with fire.

Finally, when the pain slowly died and faded away, the teens pulled their hands away, eyes intent as the Balcoin symbol burned into the fleshy bit of Greg's palm under his thumb. A quick glance to their arm proved that there was a small vertical line on his elbow that matched Whitney's, while on Chloe's another line intersected the first, forming a small cross on her elbow.

Greg grinned, eyeing the symbol on his palm. "I'm finally a card carrying member."

Chloe could feel the confusion in her magic, could _feel_ the magic around Whitney's Hamsa reacting similarly, and Chloe figured that this was due to what her father had said before. Balcoins usually only ever bound Circles with those who were blood related to them, and the only one not related who could be bound would be a spouse. Her magic had assumed that since Whitney wasn't related that he was the husband and now that Greg had been bound it was confused and trying to understand the new dynamics.

Whitney began rubbing his Hamsa with a hiss.

Diana eyed him in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded, rubbing the design harder. "I think."

Greg rubbed his Balcoin symbol as well, obviously being affected. "Itches like a motherfucker!"

"It's got to be because the two of you aren't blood." Diana realized what Chloe had, eyes wide in fascination. "The binding magic has got to be confused and is trying to figure out why she's bound _two_ guys who aren't kin."

Chloe felt the shock seconds before it happened, lights flashing before Greg and Whitney both disappeared.

The girls remained where they were, eyes wide.

"What just happened?" Diana whispered.

"I-have no idea," Chloe whispered back, looking around her, standing up.

"Where are they?" Diana rose to her feet, hugging herself. "Is this Trial related? Or is it because you bound two guys who weren't Balcoin blood?"

Chloe finally turned her terrified gaze to her sister. "I don't know, but either way it can't be good."

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"Dude." Greg looked all around him, orb up high, giving them some light. "Where the hell are we?"

"My first guess would be somewhere deep in the Balcoin Caves, a part we haven't explored yet." Whitney eyed the room critically. "Who knows just how far these caves actually go?"

"I do," a voice declared and both boys turned to see Chloe emerging from the darkness. "It would blow your _minds_ just how far these caves go."

Whitney folded his arms over his chest. "Hello, Scales."

"Why is it that neither of you look surprised that it's me and not her?" Scales pouted, eyes blinking to reveal their reptile orbs. "Even Bug Boy knew it was me."

"One, don't call me Bug Boy." Greg counted on his fingers. "Two… I don't know how I know."

"It's because we're bound, I think." Whitney didn't take his gaze off of Scales. "You feel like Chloe but a little off, a little raw."

"I wouldn't describe it as that but yeah, I guess." Greg nodded, going closer. "So you're the reason we've been transported to only the gods know where in the caves?"

"Well, no." Scales shook her head. "Why does everyone always suspect me?" She was pouting as she drew nearer. "Every time I appear, I try to help you or her. So seriously, I should be getting a _little_ more trust by now."

"No offense, sweetie, but you're a snake," Greg reminded. "Hard to trust one."

"And yet you trust Chloe." Scales' forked tongue slithered out. "The Queen Snake." She eyed them. "You trust her enough to get into a _blood oath_ with her, which is _why_ we're here in the first place. So if you want anyone to blame, blame yourselves."

"What, this is because I became a card carrying member?" Greg gazed down at his Balcoin symbol.

"Yes and no." Scales made a face. "It's only a big deal because _he_ beat you to the punch." She pointed to Whitney accusingly. "You _must_ have gotten by now that Francis Balcoin was not only a wet blanket, but a _complete_ control freak. It's why he created these Trials, so he could have some measure of control over the future Circle even after he was dead." She rolled her eyes. "He felt that the Balcoins could only be strong if their Circles, most especially their Matriarch/Patriarch Circle, only contained Balcoins. He felt that the only exception to the rule would be the spouse of the head of the Circle and only if they were worthy of being in the Circle." She eyed the two boys. "In the past, the Balcoins have either never bound their Circles, like John, or only did so with their blood and spouse." She raised an eyebrow. "From the get go, Chloe has been going against what are considered rules set in stone. You two are her latest rebellion against Francis Balcoin's 'Rules To Live By'."

"So what exactly is this then?" Greg wanted to know. "Are we getting a slap on our wrists for being bad children and breaking the rules?"

"Francis Balcoin was one to _break_ wrists, not slap them." Scales rolled her eyes. "Even now, he's still hollering around about purity and power and superiority and what should be done." Annoyance was obvious in her. "We've managed to keep a hold of him, remind him that _he_ was the one absorbed, but there's still some of him around. She hasn't _fully_ absorbed his and John's magic completely; made them one. There are still tiny bits of their essence free and it is affecting her greatly. Their presence is affecting her in ways she can't understand, but it's showing in the way she'd edgier, quicker to snap." Scales grinned. "Though her slamming Nell into the walls and then throwing the annoying woman into the _garbage_ was _highly_ satisfying. She really had it coming."

"She did _what_?" Whitney blinked.

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Scales asked curiously. "Before she met you three at the Beanery she was accosted by Nell, who dragged her into the alley, tried ordering her about, and then used her magic against Chloe when the girl was leaving. Chloe rightly snapped, threw the woman about, and then locked her in a large garbage container." She smiled brightly. "It was so _fun_."

Greg snickered. "I would have loved to have seen that!"

"Why didn't she tell us?" Whitney was confused.

"Maybe because she realizes, somehow, that it isn't _entirely_ her own doing but she doesn't want to think too strongly on it right now." Scales shrugged. "She's being influenced, not matter how vaguely, by both Francis and John. She needs to fully absorb them or she's going have more trouble in the future."

There was silence before Whitney eyed her. "You haven't told us why we're here."

"Right." Scales nodded, making a face. "To correct things in the Balcoins' eyes, one of you is going to have to die, and Chloe is going to choose which."

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"I think – I think they're still in the caves." Chloe took a step towards a tunnel when it suddenly lit up, a trail laid before them as different twists and turns lit up like a landing strip. "I – if we follow the tunnel that is lit, we'll find the boys."

"Is this your doing or someone else's? The lights I mean?" Diana asked at her side.

"I did not light up the path," Chloe whispered, hands clenched at her side. "Someone is guiding us."

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"She's close." Moira held a warmed cup of cocoa in her hands as she stared in front of her. "I can feel it. She's almost finished with her Trials. Maybe two more at the most."

"I know." Gabe nodded. "I mightn't have magic but I can feel it too. She's been tested on so many things I can't help but wonder what the last Trials will be. I also wonder how Luthor and Teague will factor in because they were marked."

"I wonder what will happen after she's completed these Trials," Moira responded, sipping the hot cocoa. "Will she be her, or will she be a Balcoin?"

"She already _is_ a Balcoin," Gabe reminded.

"She's still half Hibbins; it's inside her somewhere." Moira tightened her grip on the cup. "But with every Trial completed, I see less and less of it. It's almost as if her Balcoin magic is consuming the Hibbins magic and joining it together, removing anything that isn't Balcoin within her." She stared ahead of her. "Will the last Trial remove every trace of Hibbins?"

"Maybe," Gabe declared thoughtfully, eyeing her. "What if that were to happen? What if the Balcoin in her devoured the Hibbins completely?"

"Then…" Moira whispered, an odd glint in her eyes. "She wouldn't be my daughter anymore, would she?"

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Chloe and Diana walked side by side, both wary as they followed the trail of light through different tunnels, both a bit intimidated to realize just how deep these tunnels went, wondering exactly how much ground they were covering. There was no sense of direction anymore. They didn't have even an inkling of where exactly they were under anymore. It mightn't even be Smallville for all they knew. It felt as if they were walking for hours. Were they going upwards towards the surface or lower towards the bowels of the earth? Were they going south or north? East or west? What time was it?

"Cassie asked about you for the first time since we've started talking again," Diana whispered, obviously nervous and needing to talk. "It's usually awkward when we talk but it was even more so during that conversation."

Chloe could imagine, especially given the way she and Cassie had parted. "She wanted to know if I'd dropped dead yet?"

Diana gave a nervous little laugh. "No, she just asked how you were and then changed the subject before I could answer her."

Chloe sent her dark haired sister a look. "I see."

"I understand why she did it. You know, tried to kill me?" Diana took in a deep breath, gazing around her nervously. "Deep down, I get it. She needed my magic so we could stop John. But sometimes, when I see her, or I talk to her, I flash back to that moment and think: I'm going to die."

Chloe felt something in her churn, the blonde bringing her hand to her solar plexus.

Diana didn't notice. "I didn't want to kill him – I sometimes have nightmares about it. I see his eyes as his skin burns and hear him as he tells us we're family; we're the same as he is." She hugged herself, shivering slightly. "And I realize we are _just_ like he is. No matter how much Cassie and I have tried to deny it – no matter how righteous I try to pretend I am." She licked her lips. "I'm not Diana Meade. I'm Diana Balcoin. I'm the girl who killed her own father without a second thought."

Nausea rolled in Chloe's stomach, her magic acting up, throbbing inside of her. Yet she kept it under a tight hold, refusing to let it act on its own as it so desperately wanted.

"I stayed with you here not only because I was running from everything that had happened in Chance Harbor, and because I felt responsible for your situation, and while I have come to deeply care for you, I stayed here out of purely selfish reasons." Diana hugged herself tighter. "I felt that if I helped you somehow, it'd redeem what I had done."

Chloe sent her a sideways look, trying to concentrate despite the upheaval within her.

"I'm selfish and self-serving," Diana looked miserable. "I truly _am_ a Balcoin."

The blonde pushed away the darkness in her that wanted to break free. "You are."

Diana flinched slightly.

"Gloves off, you're a Balcoin, I'm a Balcoin, Cassie is – Pete, Mikhail are – even our nameless, faceless brother is." Chloe cleared her throat. "We're Balcoins. We're family. We're the same. There's no around that. The lives we lived before we found out are gone and no matter how we try, we're never going to get them back. We need to be strong, we need to put old grudges behind us and forge a new path. I don't know about you, but I _love_ having magic and now that I know what life is with it, I'll be damned if I lose it because of sibling bickering."

Diana looked up at her.

"I don't expect a Balcoin Circle. In fact, I already consider Pete as a part of the Thoreaux Circle. I know never to expect him to want to join us and that's fine with me. Our family is nearly extinct; it'd be good for us to spread out, to repopulate." Chloe ran a hand over her head. "I also don't expect Cassie to ever join my Circle. Not with how things are between us. You need to fully trust the person you're bound to and it will take a _huge_ change in our relationship for that to ever be even a _remote_ possibility."

Diana nibbled on her bottom lip. "We've all lost everything. I don't think any of us really even know who we are anymore."

"It's awful, but running away is not the answer," Chloe responded. "Besides, it's not safe for any of us out there on our own anymore." She eyed her younger sister. "We're just gonna have to learn to pick our allies, work through our bickering, and get ready to fight."

Suddenly they came to a dead end. The sisters paused, eyeing the solid wall ahead of them, the light going through it.

"What now?" Diana asked, looking around for some other alternate route and yet finding none.

Chloe raised her right palm towards the wall, placing it against the stone before placing the other as well, each on opposite sides of the light beam. She concentrated and then pushed with all of her might, the stone wall disappearing. The blonde barely kept from stumbling into the room as the propulsion drove her forward.

"_Chloe_?" a voice called from within.

The blonde stepped into the room, the brunette at her heels, as the wall reappeared behind them, trapping them inside.

Diana looked behind her, licking her lips nervously.

Chloe stared ahead though, greens on Greg and Whitney, who were suspended in the air. "Are you guys okay?"

"Been better," Greg assured her.

"What-" Diana moved to go towards them.

Chloe held her hand out in front of Diana, stopping her movement, gaze going around the shadow-cloaked room, the only light shinning on the boys. "Who's there?"

Diana's eyes widened as she looked around her. "I don't see anyone."

Chloe ignored her, taking a step forwards, eyes narrowing. "_Who's there_?"

Suddenly in the darkness around them, thousands of eyes opened, glowing in the dark.

"_Chloe_?" Diana moved closer.

Chloe clenched her fists, knowing there was no way she'd be able to take on this many things on her own, or even with just Diana.

And then… The lights came on to reveal that those eyes didn't belong to creatures, instead they belonged to spirits, thousands of spirits.

"What's going on?" Diana asked, twirling around. "Who _are_ they?"

"I think…" Chloe cleared her throat. "I think they're Balcoins."

That was when something yanked a screaming Diana into the shadows and she disappeared.

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"_Hey! This is Chloe! I'm either too busy hunting down the next __f__ront __p__age for the Torch or I'm just plain ignoring you. If I don't get back to __you about __the message you leave after the high and annoying beep, you'll know which it is!_"

"That's some message," Jason smirked, shaking his head as he laid on the sofa of the Metropolis place, glad that this would be the last night he'd be here. Lex had okay-ed his return to Smallville tomorrow, Davis being left in charge of the situation in Metropolis while Tess and Oliver rested and recuperated here as well. "I'm going to be back your way tomorrow and I was wondering about that, uh, dinner we'd talked about before. I know things have come up since then and all, but I figured it would be good for us both to get away from things for a while and just relax." He noticed Davis' drawing pad and reached for it, knowing his best friend wouldn't like him looking at it but Jason lived to annoy the other guy, casually flipping through the pages since no one was around. "I was thinking something we didn't have to dress up to do? Like, uh." Jason froze before sitting up quickly, the page flipping onto a drawing of the girl he was talking to. "I-" Jason continued to flip through the rest of the pages, finding more and more pictures of Chloe Sullivan. "Jesus. Chloe, I have to call you back." Jason let the phone drop as he eyed each drawing. "What the hell?"

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"DIANA!" Chloe screamed.

"Chloe Balcoin," a voice echoed throughout the cavern amidst the spirits encircling them. "You have been called to the Tribunal to stand Trial for breaking Balcoin tradition, disrespecting our customs and attempting to defy the rules we have lived by for generations."

"Is that so?" Chloe eyed the determined gazes on her.

"Not only have you not pushed your siblings to join your Circle, but you've bound two who aren't of blood," that voice declared. "You are endangering the Balcoin lineage with such acts and we cannot just stand and watch everything we have worked for be put in jeopardy due to your careless acts."

Chloe tried to find the source of that voice. "I see."

"You have entered into a blood pact with these two Unbloods and the only way this can be dissolved is if one of them were to die," that voice declared. "As you made the unwise choice to bind them, you will have to choose which shall die and which shall live."

"You stu-" Greg's mouth was silenced.

"Let me get this straight." Chloe tightened her hands into fists at her sides, that darkness from before beginning to bubble again. "You expect me to choose which of my friends will die and which will live?"

"Be glad that we give you a choice in the matter," the voice announced imperiously. "You've proven such bad judgement that it is in our right to just choose one for you."

"Right?" Chloe laughed, the sound dark. "_Right_?" She took a step further into the middle of the room, glaring at them all. "Excuse me, but you dead people have _no right_ in this."

"Mind your words you disrespectful child," the voice condemned. "We are the Elders, we are your ancestors, we-"

"Are all dead. Gone," she snapped, interrupting him. "You had your chance, you lived your lives, and you followed Francis Balcoin's rules to the letter. You were faithful little sheep. And where did that get you? Dead, our family nearly _extinct_. Having to hide like _weaklings_ and depend on other Circles to survive." She moved slowly in a circle so she could look at every single face. "You've run this family into the ground."

"You _dare_ disrespect-!" that voice boomed.

"Yes! I dare!" she snarled, once more interrupting it, her magic boiling within her body. "I am _sick and tired_ of every single person telling me I'm this big and special person and yet believing they can still tell me how I'm supposed to do things, to fall into line. To obey." Her eyes narrowed. "I am done. With everything. I'm done with the threats from the Luthor Circle. I'm done with the Trials. And I'm done with _you_." The walls began to shake. "_I_ am alive. _I_ am the Matriarch of the crumbling _remains_ you've left me with. _I_ am the one who is going to have to somehow rebuild a clan _every single one of you_ have had a hand in destroying, in _weakening_."

"You-!" the voice tried.

"_Be quiet_!" Chloe's voice deepened, a wave of visible magic exploding from her, silencing those around her. "I am not the one who should be on Trial; each and every one of _you_ should be. And are. I'm trying you and I condemn _you all_ for your part in causing our family to fall to the depths that they have. _I_ will pass the judgments and if there is any sort of leniency, it will come from _me_." Her gaze went to where Whitney and Greg were levitated. "You will release _my Circle members_ and you will not touch them ever again. I will not choose a death or a life because they _both_ are _mine_. Not yours. You can not touch them and if you try to, I will destroy your spirit."

"Don't be stupid, child. You cannot destroy what is already dead."

"But I can banish you from here," Chloe responded, hearing the whispers grow. "I have control over these caves; they do my bidding." She eyed the spirits around her curiously. "What would happen to you if you were dispatched from here? Where would you go?" She took a step towards a group of the spirits, who took a step away from her. "I thought so."

"You would turn against your own kind for two unbloods?" the voice growled.

"Listen to me, carefully," she whispered, magic picking at her hair, at her clothes. "I will not pick between Greg and Whitney, they both go free with their lives, and the Trials end now."

Immediately that last part caused an uproar.

"You can not believe that you-!"

"Francis Balcoin-!"

"Tradition-!"

"Unheard of-!"

_"SILENCE_!" Chloe hissed, her magic becoming visible as it twirled around her, dark like shadows, like a tornado. "Francis Balcoin started these Trials. I am ending them." She held her hands out at her side. "I have not only my own magic within me, but I have Francis Balcoin's and John Balcoin's. I have more magic, more power, than Francis ever did. I'm the most powerful Balcoin that has _ever_ existed." Her magic began to spike outwards, driving the spirits backwards. "I _refuse_ to continue letting lesser beings _push me around_." She could feel the blacks of her pupils expanding. "Especially not those who aren't even living. Your time is over. Mine has only just started. And I am _not_ going to let _anyone_ boss me around or tell me how I'm going to run _my_ Circle or lead _my_ Clan."

There was silence, and then a spirit began descending, the one who'd been speaking to her all along. The old man lowered until he was standing in front of her, grave. "Do not be foolish, child. You need the Wisdom of the Ages, and we have _always_ been invaluable to the Balcoins."

"I don't doubt that, but you seem to forget that you're councilors. Not the leaders." Chloe took a step towards him, hissing more animal-like. "You don't _command_ me. You don't manipulate me. The only time you do anything is when _I _come to _you_ for advice. For information. It is _only then_ that you will do anything. And only if _I _want you to."

The man just eyed her in silence.

Chloe turned her back to him, eyeing everyone, feeling her magic, barely controlled, about to explode. "I declare this the end of the Trials. No other Firstborn shall _ever_ be put through these dangers _anymore_. They will be trained, they will be readied, but they will _never_ go through these sorts of tests _ever_ again." The magic inside of her exploded, something breaking deep within her as Chloe cried out and grabbed her stomach, bending over as darkness erupted from her like shadow ripples that covered everyone and everything within the Judging Chambers. The force of the magic inside of her drove Chloe to her knees, the girl closing her eyes as there were cries and whispers and then someone helping her to her feet.

She opened her eyes, smiling into Whitney's face as he and Greg took their places on either side of her.

Diana stumbled into the light towards them, coughing, wiping at herself desperately as if trying to get the feel of the ghostly hands off of her.

The door opened.

Chloe didn't move, turning her gaze on the man. "Don't _ever_ pull a stunt like ever again, because if something happens to my family because of you, because of customs and traditions that have no place in my Circle, then I _will_ find a way to not only to banish you from this sanctuary of yours, but I _will_ destroy you. I _promise_ you that."

The spirit continued eyeing her before he did the oddest thing.

He smiled.

He honest to god _smiled_.

It threw Chloe for a loop.

"When you need us, Soul, we are here." He gave a little bow before disappearing, the other spirits mirroring his actions as they too disappeared.

"What – what just happened?" Greg wanted to know, scratching at his head. "And can you put the demon eyes away? They're kind of creeping me out."

Chloe turned to him in confusion. "What?"

"Your eyes… they've bled black," Whitney pointed out. "Your pupils are huge and there's only a tiny ring of green that's barely visible."

"Oh." Chloe brought her hands to her eyes. "I-I don't know how to get them back to normal."

Diana wrapped her arm around Chloe. "We'll figure it out later. Let's leave this place, it gives me the creeps."

Chloe nodded, letting her Circle lead her away, feeling like something had changed inside of her, and not sure if it was for the best.

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**TBC**


	51. Deal In The Dark

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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She hadn't wanted to go to him, but her parents had no answers to her situation, she wasn't sure how to contact Mikhail or his people and the light sensitivity was getting to the point that even with her eyes closed tight, the light was hurting her. So in the end, Chloe (as well as her Circle and parents) had had to make that trip to Luthor Manor and fill him in on what had happened in order to explain why she was the way she was right now. Lex had promptly kicked everyone out into the living room while he and Chloe sat in the laboratory – that hadn't been in his study before – the lights on low, enough so that she could open her eyes and have it not send a massive jolt of pain throughout her whole system.

"Is this enough light for you to be able to work through?" Chloe asked curiously as Lex shuffled through the contents of a drawer, obviously having problems seeing.

"It's fine." He pulled out a pair of goggles and slipped them on, grinning as he stood and went to the light switch, dialing the light all the way to 0 so that it was total darkness. His goggles then lit up green. "It wouldn't be the first time I've had to work with less than exemplary lighting."

The darkness provided relief to her eyes and yet made her feel vulnerable considering all she could see of Lex was those goggles and yet he could see her perfectly with the night vision technology. She fidgeted slightly on the chair, licking her lips as she stared towards the goggles to give her something to focus on. "You know, you should at least buy me dinner before getting me in a dark room alone with you."

He snickered. "I already _have_ bought you dinner."

Oh, right, he _had_.

Chloe cleared her throat.

"The _level_ of your mydriasis is _fascinating._" It seemed that he was concentrating on her eyes, which calmed her somewhat. "And you said this happened when you confronted this – Wisdom of the Ages?"

Chloe nodded, worrying her bottom lip. "I told them where to stick their rules, that the Trials were over for the Balcoin Firstborns and that if they didn't want to float around aimlessly for eternity, they would evaluate how much power or control they had over me and my decisions. Which, as I spelled out, was none."

There was a soft chuckle. "That mustn't have pleased them."

"Actually, I think it might have," Chloe admitted curiously, pursing her lips. "It confused me."

"So you've put an end to the Trials." There was an odd sound in Lex's tone.

Chloe frowned, hating not being able to see his face. She felt blind, and the blonde reached out with her hands on impulse, finding his face, fingers trailing down his features before pulling away. "You're frowning."

"My face was just groped," he informed her.

"It wasn't _groped_." She was glad for the darkness that would hide her blush. "I was doing the thing blind people do, I was _seeing_ you. And you were frowning. So spit it out. What's going through that evil mind of yours?"

There was silence and then he chuckled, shaking his head. "I was thinking that it is curious that you ended the Trials, and yet I still have the winged snake on me."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

His goggles were trained on her. "What if you've stopped the Trials from happening to anyone after you, but you still have to finish yours?"

"No." Chloe shook her head, sure of this. "I won't have another Trial."

"Maybe not an official one." Lex's voice was contemplative. "But what if whatever you were supposed to learn or achieve with the tests I was supposed to be involved in is still something you need to accomplish, even if not in a Trial?"

She eyed his goggles thoughtfully. "Maybe."

"I'm going to lean your chair back, just relax." Lex followed through, tilting the chair back so that she was laying on her back, the man getting up and moving to go to a table and look through something before returning to her, placing what seemed like shades over her eyes. These weren't normal shades though, Chloe being able to see through them in light greens, the lenses beginning a visible scan on her pupils.

She could see Lex vaguely now, the man leaning over her and watching her thoughtfully before turning to the screens of his computers, where scans of her eyes and other information were popping up. He eyed the information before sitting down and typing in something, a whole different window popping up with writing she couldn't make out from so far away.

"That's some power." Lex continued to type into his computer. "To just be able to stop the Trials your ancestors have been subjected to..."

Chloe wiggled on the chair. "Why haven't you asked me anything about Patricia and the group that kidnapped your friends?"

He froze before slowly turning on his seat to face her. "What is there to ask?"

"Aren't you – aren't you at least _curious_?" Chloe sat up on the seat, eyeing in his direction. "I would be, if I were you."

Lex continued to look at her. "The only time I've come close to feeling like I was loved and could love in return was with Patricia, and then I find out it was only a lie, all planned so it could help her in her plans; her _father's_ plans." His smile was ugly. "I'll find out enough when I find her and question her myself. Without the bracelet you took from her, she won't be able to hide from me for much longer."

"So you're hunting for them." Chloe gulped, not sure why she was surprised.

"She not only betrayed us, but she kidnapped my sister and Circle mate and had them tortured for days," Lex replied darkly. "She will pay for those actions. The Luthor Circle does _not_ allow a traitor to live."

She felt a chill race down her spine, the blonde pushing off of the seat and yanking the shades off of her eyes. "This was a mistake. I'm leaving. Sorry for wasting your time." She had a basic idea of where the door was and headed in that direction.

"What are you doing?" Lex stood.

"I'm leaving. I should know better than to rely on you and your kind. I will _not_ be indebted to you." She cried out as she walked into something, hissing as she leaned down to rub her shin. It was the table off to the right, which meant she was a bit off course.

Hands came down on her shoulders and turned the girl around. "What exactly did you expect? For us to just let those sorts of attacks against us go unpunished?"

"They did what they did to find and protect me, just as I'm sure the groups who are faithful to Luthor would have done had situations been different. As leader of the Balcoins, any group that is affiliated with my Clan is under _my_ protection and my supervision, for me alone to punish or chastise. I can't just let you hunt them down and do nothing." She gulped back her rising nausea. "I have a _brother_ in that Circle." _And so do you_... But Chloe couldn't say that last part. "I don't know him, that's true, but he's my brother, my Clan, and I will _not_-"

"Offer me something."

She blinked, confused, looking up at those goggles. "What?"

"Offer me something and I'll see if it's worth enough for me to spare those you want sparing." His grip on her shoulders tightened. "But bare in mind that no matter _what_ you offer me, I won't let Patricia or her father go. Their fates have been sealed by their actions."

Chloe narrowed her eyes as she raised her chin. "If you _think_ you can _coerce_ me into agreeing to be bound to your Circle then you have another thing coming!"

He chuckled, apparently darkly amused, shaking his head. "Offer me something."

Chloe was completely confused by now, not sure what else exactly she could offer the bald billionaire.

"You lived through that fantasy of yours, Chloe. You know that, as allies, the Six needed to find a way of restitution should any of theirs sin against another of the Six." Lex was closer to her, his grip on her shoulders softening. "Offer me something as restitution for the acts of your people, Lady Balcoin."

Chloe's eyes widened, that fantasy life coming back to her like a blow, her blush returning full force as her heart began to race. "An alliance."

There was silence as he merely stared at her.

"I won't be yours, I won't belong to you, but I offer you my alliance should you, for any reason, go against your father, Tess, or Julian." She didn't say "siblings" because Lucas would be included in that. "I'm sure that you have your own reserves just in case something like that should happen, and I'm not offering my people in a fight, but I'm offering myself in one."

He continued to eye her in the darkness.

Chloe gulped, staring up at his goggles, hating once more not being able to see him when he could see her. "So, do we have a deal or what?"

"It's... a tempting offer," he admitted. "Though if you promised your Circle, it'd be more tempting."

"I'm not going to force them to do something that could get them killed." Her eyes narrowed at him. "But I'll do whatever I have to in order to help you win, should you need me against your family. Which you probably will soon when your father realizes you want the Firstborn all for yourself."

She nearly jumped when she felt the back of his fingers trailing down her cheek, her breath coming out faster, a little harder. "W-what are you doing?"

"Considering the offer," he replied as if nothing odd were happening.

Was he trying to intimidate her? Because if so, it was working!

And yet, she wasn't exactly _scared_.

The darkness, the inability to see, made her other senses hyperaware and it was beginning to drive her to distraction!

"Your pulse has accelerated, your breathing deepened, and the blacks of your eyes have completely taken over the green ring that was only barely visible before," Lex commented quite scientifically, reminding her just how well he could see her. "If I didn't know any better, Chloe, I'd think you're attracted to me."

"Of course I'm attracted to you." Chloe scoffed. "Doesn't mean I have to _like_ you though."

There was a pause and then he chuckled, seeming highly amused with her. "There's something about you, Chloe. I can't exactly put my finger on it."

"Really?" she quipped. "Because you seem to find no problems putting your finger on _me_."

"Fine," he decided abruptly. "I accept your offer."

Chloe's eyes widened as she smiled. "So we bind it then?"

"You don't trust me to hold up my part of the bargain otherwise?"

"Do you trust _me_ to?" she countered.

"You've got a point," he declared. "Fine, then let's bind this agreement between us." He cleared his throat. "I, Lex Luthor, swear on my lineage and magic, not to touch those in the Circle who are under Chloe's protection, as long as she promises to be my ally, _mine_, shall my father, Tess, or Julian ever come against me or I against them."

Chloe gulped, licking her lips, realizing he was waiting for her part. "I, Chloe Balcoin, swear by my lineage and magic, to be Lex Luthor's ally, only his, should his father, Tess or Julian ever come up against him, or he against them, as long as Lex Luthor or anyone else working for him, does not touch those who are under my protection." She reached out her hand, not used to oaths but the only one she'd done was a blood oath in which blood had to be-

Lex's grip tightened on her shoulders before his lips brushed over hers, stealing her breath away as her eyes flew open in shock.

"Wh-what?" Chloe gasped, hands going to his chest, pushing away slightly, wishing now more than ever that she could see him.

"This is how I seal a pact," he declared.

She gulped. "I have a feeling it's fascinating to watch you seal a deal with a guy."

He chuckled darkly, lips brushing over hers softly once more. "I don't seal a pact _this way_ with guys. I'm not really into that."

"So basically this is sexual harassment..." she whispered, eyes fluttering shut as his lips continued to move softly, like the brushing of a butterfly's wings, against hers.

Lex didn't answer, merely pressing his lips harder against hers, and yet not truly hard. It was a completely different kiss from the ones they'd shared before. Both had been frantic, urgent, and yet this one was slow and soft. His grip on her wasn't restraining, wasn't stopping her from pulling away should she try; Lex's lips coaxing, not forceful, her lips parting for his of their own free will as the hands on his shirt stopped trying to push and instead gripped, pulling closer.

She could feel the magics within them reacting, lights exploding inside of the room like glowing fireworks.

Lex tore off his goggles, the bright bursts of light probably interfering with their night-vision. The billionaire let the goggles fall to the ground by their feet as he pulled her closer, hands rising up her shoulders and neck to cup her face, tilting her head back to grant him easier access as he continued his slow exploration of her.

Chloe's knees were trembling, her magic whiplashing out, the light bulbs exploding everywhere inside of the room.

Lex's lips tore from hers only enough for his to move in a soft question. "Are you thinking about Jason while I'm kissing you?"

The question shattered the haze she'd been in, the blonde's green eyes flying open as she pushed Lex away.

They were now on equal ground, unable to see the other.

The blonde turned her back on Lex and felt her way towards the door, opening it and slipping out, leaving him alone in the dark room as she stormed away to where her family and Circle were waiting on her.

Diana stood up. "Oh thank the gods, you're back to normal!" She smiled. "What did he do to get your eyes back to normal?"

"Yeah." Greg nodded. "We all felt a burst of magic that nearly sent us to the ground. Exactly what happened in there?"

Moira just eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm tired." Chloe walked passed them, calling herself all sorts of stupid for just losing herself in the moment like that with _Lex Luthor_ of all people.

Of _course_ he'd antagonize her like that after getting what he'd wanted.

He was just so damned-!

Argh!

Chloe clenched her fists as she stormed away, her anger masking the guilt eating away inside because despite the fact that she might have a crush on Jason, she had _not_ been thinking about him _at all_ during that kiss.

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Long after the front door slammed shut and two vehicles could be heard disappearing down the winding driveway, Lex remained standing in the darkness, not having moved.

He brought a hand to his lips, which were tingling, residual magic still in the air. The bald witch noticed the faint glowing on his palm and turned his hand palm-up, gazing thoughtfully as the winged serpent tattoo he'd mentioned earlier glowed a pink-purple.

"Interesting."

Rubbing his thumb over his lips, Lex sucked at the digit, at the lingering taste there, before switching on the lights.

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Diana blinked, sitting Indian style on the bed, eyeing her in shock. "Oh, wow."

Chloe lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

Diana cleared her throat, leaning closer. "Do you have a crush on him?"

"_Diana_..." Chloe whined, feeling like a spoiled kid having a tantrum. "He's an arrogant-"

"Hot dude with a great brain and attractive body." Diana tilted her head to the side. "Plus, in your fantasy, you and he were seriously in love."

"I'm not the one who came up with the situation; that was all a test made by _them_," Chloe grunted. "If it had been me, then Jason would have been the main love interest."

"Would it?" Diana questioned.

Chloe sent her a little look. "What do you mean?"

"Let's face it, you and Jason might be attracted to each other, but he's Lex's right hand man; he listens to Lex and obeys him." Diana frowned. "If Lex told him not to see you again, do you think Jason would rebel against that?"

Chloe licked her lips, pulling herself up to sit facing her sister. "I don't know."

"And _that_ is why he wasn't the love interest. You've never been able to allow yourself to really let go with Jason because you're always worried he's doing what he's doing because Lex is the one who's telling him to." Diana hit the nail on the spot. "Whereas with Lex, you know no one tells him what to do and he's a leader in his own right; that he does what _he_ wants, not what his father tells him to."

Chloe's gaze skirted away. "Okay, so maybe I have a _little_ crush on Lex, but it isn't even on _him_, it's on his _brain_."

Diana bit down on her bottom lip but was unable to keep the smile from forming. "Is that so?"

"He's a scientific witch, okay? That's appealing." She let out a reluctant sigh. "But I_ really do_ like Jason. He's – he's unintentionally sweet."

"What about this Davis guy?" Diana suddenly changed the subject, frowning. "In your fantasy, there was some very weird sort of vibes between you two."

"I have no idea what that was about," Chloe admitted. "It's probably the guilt I feel for unknowingly Enthralling him while thinking he was the John Lex had brought for me. I really thought Lex was going to skin me for that one. I also haven't been able to see Jason since then because he's been in Metropolis babysitting Davis while he detoxes. It's made me – very uncomfortable – whenever Davis is mentioned. Lex always gives me this accusing look; as if I meant to Enthrall Davis."

"I really don't see what the big deal was considering that, sure, you Enthralled him. So what?" Diana rolled her eyes. "He's already out of rehab, so really, no harm no foul."

"I don't know," Chloe shrugged. "All I know is that tomorrow is going to be our first day at Luthor Academy and I'm already dead tired."

"It'll be interesting though, going to a new school." Diana grinned. "Maybe I'll be able to find me a cute guy of my own because you have two already and that's highly unfair."

Chloe smiled, voice sarcastic. "Yeah, I'm living the romantic's dream."

Diana bumped her shoulder with Chloe's. "So, any cute guys you can recommend? Any that aren't psychotic?"

"In Smallville?" Chloe made a face, half-serious. "I can't really think of any right now, but it'll probably come to me once we're there." She grinned. "It's going to be great to be able to have the Torch again!" She grew excited, slipping closer. "Lex wouldn't exactly tell me more than the fact that the office and some equipment are going to be there, but I'm thinking that Luthor Academy's Torch office is going to feature high grade equipment and not the dinosaurs we used to have to work with. I'm so excited!"

Diana smiled at her before sighing. "I hope I get to be in the same grade as you all. It'll be so _lonely_ if I have to be in a grade below all by myself!"

"Well, dad talked to Principle Kwan and he said depending on how well you do on the test first thing, they'll decide whether to skip you a grade." It was Chloe's turn to bump shoulders with her sister. "You'll be fine; we Balcoins are smart and cunning." She grinned. "I hope you know you're going to have to start working at the Torch now!"

"_Fine_." Diana grinned, not at all put upon by the news. "What do you think I could do?"

"I'm not too sure. With both Pete and Clark gone and a couple of the others having left to go to school in Metropolis – I'm going to have to shuffle things and people around." Chloe was growing more and more excited at the thought of getting elbows deep into the Torch once more.

"You're loving every moment of this." Diana laughed.

"Completely!" Chloe nodded, sighing happily. "It will be nice to have at least a semblance of normality."

Diana nodded before slipping off of the bed and stretching. "Well, if we're to be beautiful for tomorrow, we better get a good night's sleep." She went to the door before turning towards her older sister. "Sleep tight."

"You too." Chloe smiled, watching her go and close the door behind her, before the blonde laid down in bed and turned off the lights. She yawned, pulling the covers to her chest as she returned to staring at the ceiling.

Closing her eyes, Chloe yawned once more, sleep descending on her. "Stupid Lex Luthor." She smiled, hugging a pillow to her chest. "I hope something goes wrong and messes up your stupid little opening ceremony." She grinned a little evilly, imagining Lex tripping on his way to the podium or forgetting his speech in the most important part of it.

The girl fell asleep to memories of wearing Faye's outfit, of the rush she'd felt taking down Lionel Luthor, the sleeping blonde unaware of the magic that rippled out of her.

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**TBC**


	52. Eventful First Day At Luthor Academy

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Chloe had to admit it, Faye had good taste. The blonde wondered exactly how Faye had managed to buy the large amount of clothes and shoes she had without apparently spending any of Chloe's money. The blonde decided there was probably magic involved somehow and she didn't want to know. She stared at her reflection, feeling a little weird considering she never would have had the gall (or money) to buy the Faye-ish clothes, but she had to admit that now that she tried on one of the new outfits, it was really nice. She didn't know if she pulled it off, because you had to have a certain amount of self-assurance to do so, but she was going to give it a try.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened, Diana slipping inside. "You ready?"

Chloe blinked, realizing how different she and Diana were dressed. Whereas Diana was totally preppy with her long flowing hair, sleek vest over a longer sleeved shirt and pretty skirt with pump heels, Chloe was definitely more "edgy" with her dark jeans, black boots, dark jacket and stacked bracelets.

Diana grinned when she saw her. "You can definitely tell Faye bought those."

"Not like me at all," Chloe agreed, eyeing herself.

"I don't know, I think it suits you."

Chloe sent her a smile. "Thanks, love what you're wearing too."

"What, this lil old thing?" Diana laughed, shaking her head.

The door opened to reveal Gabe, who grinned at them. "You girls look lovely. I'll have to start keeping a gun on me to drive the boys away."

The sisters shared amused grins as they went towards the man and each gave him a kiss on the cheek good morning, grabbing their things as a honk could be heard outside.

Moira stood by the door, arms folded over her chest. "I don't think I have to remind you girls to be careful. The whole school is basically on Lex Luthor's pay roll now. You can't trust anyone there."

Both nodded, Chloe licking her lips. "We'll be fine."

Moira didn't answer, merely opened the door for them.

"Thanks." Diana gave Moira a little smile before grabbing Chloe's hand and dragging her out of the house to where Whitney and Greg were waiting for them outside.

Whitney leaned out of the driver's side window. "You two are looking far too pretty for school."

"No such thing," Diana assured him, rolling her eyes as she started around the side of the truck.

Greg curled his finger at Chloe beckoningly. "Whitney can't have both of you."

Sharing an amused look with Diana as the brunette slid into the front seat of Whitney's truck, Chloe made her way towards Greg's motorcycle and eyed it before straddling the machine, her arms going around Greg's waist. "If you get into an accident and kill us..."

"I know, I know." He grinned far too mischievously. "Hold on tight!" And with that, he sped off, causing the girl to hold on tighter and let out a squeak.

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"You should consider switching her school." Moira stood by the window, staring at the front yard long after the teens had disappeared.

"Lionel already knows about her, she can't hide from him or Lex anymore." Gabe grabbed his things, readying to get to work himself, wondering just how long he'd have this job now that Lionel knew everything. "It's not time for her to hide anymore, but to stand up and fight."

Moira didn't answer but merely stared outside.

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Chloe had seen the outside of the new school more than once, but it was still new and intimidating as she stood in front of it, her friends on either side. Everyone was dressed up a bit more than they usually would, obviously due to the grand opening ceremony of which Lex Luthor would preside. She didn't see a limo anywhere so he obviously hadn't arrived yet and she wondered if Jason would become the official coach of the Crows (the games the team had played under his leadership had all been victories) or if the Principle would have found someone else to replace him considering Jason was only helping out.

"So, first day at Luthor Academy." Greg made a face. "I feel like a rich kid going to a place with a name like that."

"It _does_ sound posh." Diana took in a deep breath. "Looks nice though."

"Nice?" Whitney made a face. "I'm still sure there's a stone gargoyle somewhere glaring at us."

Diana's lips tilted slightly with a reluctant smile. "Don't be ridiculous."

Chloe took a step forward, taking in a deep breath.

"Chloe!" a voice called to her right.

She turned to see Justin and Tina, arm in arm, waving at her.

The blonde grinned brightly and waved back, watching them as they continued on their way. They really looked good together.

"I can't believe you lost Gaines to Greer," a voice declared to her left.

Chloe jumped, turning to see Van approaching, not at all dressed up like the rest of the students and just his regular self, which was still quite the attractive package. "I didn't _lose_ anyone. We're still obviously friends, and I think Tina mightn't hate me anymore so it's a plus."

Van, hands in his jacket, shrugged. "So, you still need a photographer or..." his gaze went to where Greg, Whitney and Diana were standing, before returning to her, "have you got everything booked?"

Chloe was surprised that he was still interested in it given everything, her grin bright and genuine. "I'll always have a spot open for my favorite photographer, if he wants it."

Van eyed her before he grinned lopsidedly. "Well, since you obviously _need_ me..." Giving her a wink he backed away before going to join his friends.

"So _he's_ Van?" Diana asked, coming to her side, eyeing him appreciatively. "Nice."

"Diana..." Chloe gave her a look. "He's on the rebound and I don't want you to get in the middle in case things go sour."

Diana continued eyeing him before rolling her eyes. "_Fine,_ mother."

Chloe gasped in mock horror. "Take that back!"

"Nope." Diana ventured on ahead, shaking her head. "Not gonna happen."

Greg snorted, moving forwards to join Diana, who said something to him that had him snickering.

Whitney rested his elbow on Chloe's shoulder. "So, what are the chances of us getting through one normal day?"

"Fifty/fifty," she replied.

"Thought so," he admitted.

Diana and Greg turned from up ahead, obviously waiting on the others to catch up with them.

Whitney waved at some of his football buddies.

Chloe waved back when some of the footballers called out her name, but then her hand dropped to her side as her eyes widened and her face paled. "Whitney?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her.

"Make that ten/ninety."

"In just two _seconds_?" he gaped. "_Why_?"

But Chloe was already gone, moving through the throng of students before finally reaching the two who'd stopped and smirked when they'd noticed her approach. "What are you two doing here?"

"Hey, it's _Luthor_ Academy." Lucas smirked. "I couldn't resist."

"Besides," Mikhail spoke, his European accent tinting his words. "We promised John that, should anything happen to him, we'd find my eldest sibling. Safety in numbers, that sort of thing."

"Plus, I wanted an answer for the brush off you gave me the other day." Lucas raised an eyebrow. "If you had just listened to me, you wouldn't have gotten taken by Lionel and, about that, how are you still unbound?"

Chloe's eyes widened. "That wasn't me you talked to that day. I switched bodies the morning of the kidnapping."

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Switched bodies."

Lucas just blinked, digesting that information. "Like... Freaky Friday?"

"Something like that." She nodded. "And, well, I think it was because I was in a different body that he couldn't bind me."

"Interesting," Mikhail murmured before his dark eyes went behind Chloe and a pensive expression took over his face. "You must be Diana."

Chloe turned to see that Greg, Whitney and Diana had drawn closer.

"Yeah." Diana cleared her throat, stepping forwards. "And you're Mikhail."

"I am." He nodded.

"You two look alike." Greg blinked, eyeing the two of them, and to be truthful they really _did_. Both were tall, willowy, with dark eyes and darker hair.

"We have the Balcoin coloring," Mikhail informed them in a blasé manner. "It is only due to their mothers' strong genes that Chloe and Cassie have turned out blonde with colored eyes."

"So you know Cassie?" Whitney asked, eyes narrowed.

"Of course. John _did_ go to Chance Harbor before Diana and Cassie killed him," Mikhail declared in a bored manner, seeming to ignore the way Diana flinched at that. "We were supposed to leave things alone, but with Patricia finding out about Balcoins there through Lex Luthor, we found out as well. We were able to see pictures and the like."

"This is a little belated," Chloe was trying to cut through the tension, "but guys, meet my brother Mikhail and Lucas-"

"Dunleavy." Lucas smirked. "We already know who _you_ all are, of course. Diana Balcoin, the Sister; Whitney Fordman, the Hand; and Greg Arkin, the TouchSight." His smirk grew at the looks he was receiving from the others. "We have researched Chloe's Circle thoroughly." He eyed Chloe curiously. "But we hadn't realized you'd managed to bind it, considering you don't have the right amount yet."

"It's not bound," Chloe responded truthfully. "Not in the traditional sense at least."

Lucas eyed the three thoughtfully before turning his eyes on her and smirking. "So, first day jitters anyone?"

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The opening ceremony was going well. Lex quite pleased with everything so far. Jason had been officially declared the new coach of the Crows, to much applaud, especially from the football team, who not only enjoyed winning but _not_ getting barbecued during training. The guy was obviously enjoying himself in this assignment of his, and had had to motion for the boys of the team to calm down so that the ceremony could continue. Principle Kwan then took the next thirty minutes to kiss Lex's ass. It would have been comical if Lex wasn't so bored on stage.

He entertained himself by eyeing the students in the crowd, his gaze finally finding where Chloe was sitting, not surprised to find her sister and two Circle members sitting next to her, but what surprised him were the faces sitting behind her. They were the two faces from the fantasy she'd had. The ones from the Circle that Patricia had been helping. The ones that'd held and tortured Tess and Oliver. The ones named Mikhail and Lucas... the dark haired one with dark eyes, yet another Balcoin. The other... Lex didn't know why he made him so wary and alert. There was something about the Lucas character that just didn't sit right with him.

What were they doing here?

Lucas leaned forward and whispered something to Chloe, who merely hushed him. The boy leaned back hard on his seat, pouting, clearly unhappy with having been told to hush. The girl merely continued to stare at someone on the platform before a soft blush covered her face and her lips curled in a gentle, slightly embarrassed smile.

Lex followed her gaze discreetly, eyeing Jason, who was smiling at her as well.

The idiot.

He'd just been appointed as an employee of the school and did _not_ need to get fired on the first day for misconduct towards a student!

Something sparked to the side of Lex's gaze, the bald billionaire turning his gaze towards it, seeing nothing but having been sure he'd felt a jolt of magic. Just because he couldn't see it now didn't mean it wasn't there or something hadn't happened, so Lex remained on the alert, wondering if they were going to suffer some sort of attack before the school could even get through its first day after reopening.

Lex finally heard his name being called and plastered a smirk on his face as he stood and went to the pulpit, waiting for the applause to end before he finally opened his mouth to start his memorized speech.

That was when it happened.

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Davis emerged from the car, eyes wide as he stared the dome surrounding the school. He'd only just arrived in the parking lot, deciding to rebel and see what the hell was going on for himself, when the dome had gone up and separated the school from the rest of the town. He closed the door and walked towards the dome, which was electric and see through, the man reaching out to touch it hesitantly before crying out as he pulled his hand back in, his fingers singed.

"What the-?" Bringing his fingers to his lips, sucking to try and soothe the burn, Davis's eyes widened as she realized that, outside of the dome, not only weren't people noticing the dome – but they weren't moving. Not even cars. Not even animals.

It was as if they were all frozen and only those inside of the dome were still mobile.

Davis pulled his fingers from his mouth, turning to look towards the school in awe. What sort of power _was_ this? Was it the doing of the Firstborn? And if so, why was she doing it? How could she be this powerful?

Swallowing, Davis cleared his throat and started towards the school's entrance.

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"What the hell is going on?" Greg took the words out of everyone's mouths as they gazed around them.

No longer were they inside of the ridiculously posh auditorium, but they were seemingly in some sort of medieval land. They were figuring medieval because of their clothing, which, just like everything else, had changed drastically.

"_Nice_." Lucas grinned, unsheathing his sword and giving an expert swing of the blade. "It's perfectly balanced. Look at this Mikhail. It's better than the one I have at home."

Mikhail eyed the blade with little interest before leveling Chloe with a look. "What's going on, Oh Tiny One?"

She pouted because she wasn't that short, because Mikhail was just _assuming_ this was all her doing... and because he might be right. "If I'm behind this, it's all unknowingly. I swear."

"What am I _wearing_?" Diana cried, gazing down at herself in near horror before turning to Chloe. "_Why_ am I a dominatrix?!"

Chloe turned to her sister for the first time since this had all started and her eyes widened. "You're not a dominatrix. You're a Mord-Sith!"

"_Huh_?" Diana looked lost.

"This – this is either the Hartlands or D'Hara." Chloe ran her fingers through her hair as it all hit her hard. "Oh, damn. I think I _am_ at fault for this."

"What are you talking about?" Whitney wanted to know, looking so uncomfortable in his outfit, it was ridiculous.

"When Faye and I switched bodies, she was wearing a Mord-Sith costume – I was..." Chloe eyed Diana's outfit. "Just like that one. I wore it while I was her. I – when I knocked out Lionel, I was wearing it. I used the Agiel..." Chloe cleared her throat. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Maybe – maybe somehow it's made all this happen?"

"Lady, if you're the reason why I'm in a dress, we're going to have issues," Greg grumbled, eyeing her darkly.

Chloe turned to him, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Those are Wizard's Robes, not a dress."

"It's a _dress_," Greg grumbled, far from happy. "Why am I the only guy in a dress?"

"There are pants under those." Chloe was sure of that.

Greg lifted up his robes to reveal that there definitely were pants underneath, the guy sighing before he holding his hand out to Whitney. "Knife."

Whitney looked down at his suit, pulled out a dagger, and passed it wordlessly to Greg, who proceeded to use it to cut off the skirt of his robes so that his ensemble now more closely resembled that of his Circle mate.

"Greg seems to be the only Wizard." Chloe's gaze went to the members of her Circle plus Lucas and Mikhail, who so far were the only people with her in the meadow she found herself in. "Diana's a Mord-Sith and the rest of you look like warriors." She finally gazed down at herself and gulped, especially when she realized just how extremely long her hair had suddenly grown, and at the fact that it'd grown darker. "Well, I guess that makes sense."

"What does?" Mikhail narrowed his eyes. "What do your clothes and hair tell you about yourself?"

"I'm a Confessor." Chloe scratched behind her ear. "Makes sense, Confession is similar to Enthrallment in some ways."

"You can Enthrall?" Lucas' eyes widened. "Jackpot!"

Chloe ignored him, gazing around at everyone, unable to believe that she could create something so _realistic_ like this without even trying. "I'm not sure what we're supposed to do right now."

"What's the plot of this Lord of the Rings wannabe?" Greg wanted to know.

"It's not-" Chloe decided not to get into an argument with him. "The Confessor finds the True Seeker and helps him battle, and finally defeat, the evil Lord Darken Rahl, freeing the lands of D'Hara from his reign."

Diana made a face before asking a good question. "Are any of these guys the Seeker?"

Chloe eyed the boys, and after a couple of minutes, she shook her head. "They don't have the right clothes. They just seem like warriors. Not the Seeker. Plus, they don't have the Sword of Truth."

"Sword of Truth? _Lame_." Greg was obviously still sore about the whole dress thing.

"Okay." Whitney cleared his throat. "Does this mean we have to go looking for this Seeker guy then?"

"Could be?" Chloe worried her bottom lip.

Lucas twirled his sword with a grin. "Well then, let's get moving."

Mikhail sighed, clearly put upon. "You couldn't have been fantasizing about a reality in which there were some sort of motor vehicles? We're going to have to _walk_."

Whitney merely rolled his eyes and started walking, Diana falling into step with him, clearly trying to get used to all the leather and failing horribly.

Greg walked behind Diana, enjoying the view, as did Lucas.

Mikhail merely pouted as he fell to the back of the group, clearly in protest of the physical exertion.

Chloe sighed, feeling guilty as hell, silently trying to wish everything back to normal but nothing was happening. All she could do was follow her group, find the rest of the students of Luthor Academy (who must be HIGHLY confused at this very moment), and hopefully figure a way to get everyone back home in one piece.

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**TBC**


	53. Fashion, Horses & A Battle

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"This is so weird, I don't even know what word could properly describe the appropriate level of weirdness. This is ridiculously weird even by Smallville standards!" Greg announced in a low voice as they moved through the town they'd come upon, which was inhabited by their classmates who seemed not at all conscious of the fact that selling chickens or being blacksmiths or, well, they didn't seem at all aware of the fact that they were doing something completely odd or that this wasn't an every day occurrence. Obviously they were so deep into the fantasy, they believed it.

"Are those hookers?" Lucas asked Mikhail, eyeing the cheerleaders in their new guise.

Mikhail eyed the girls thoughtfully. "I believe so."

Chloe reached out and grabbed the both of the boys when they started off towards the prostit – the _cheerleaders _– pulling the boys back. "Concentrate. The both of you. Or you'll get left behind. There's no time for this."

"But I would have _paid_ them," Lucas tried. "Think of the economy! It's in _need_ of cash flow!"

Chloe leveled with him a glare.

"You are unpatriotic." He pointed a finger accusingly at her.

Rolling her eyes, Chloe shook her head and looked around her, wondering exactly how she was supposed to go about this.

"Can I just say how uncomfortable I am right now?" Diana sidled up next to Chloe. "No one else here is dressed even remotely similar to how I am and they're giving me disapproving looks. Even the prostitutes!"

"I think we're in the Hartlands. There's no magic on this side of the Veil so they wouldn't know about Mord-Sith. Or Confessors. Or Wizards." Her gaze went to Greg. "Let's keep it that way because they don't end up reacting too well to people with magic."

"Gotcha." Greg nodded, hands on his hips, grinning at a girl passing him as he told her. "I'm a rogue warrior."

She giggled as she passed, gaze lowered.

Chloe shook her head at Greg before turning to where Whitney was still fiddling with his outfit. "You look _fine_."

"I feel ridiculous," Whitney muttered.

"Hey," Greg hissed at him. "At least _you_ weren't wearing a _dress_."

"Robes," Chloe tried once more, a little annoyed.

"Leather!" Diana pointed to her own outfit. "From head to toe! _And_ I'm wearing heels! This trumps _all_ of your clothing problems!"

"Seriously, how is it that _fashion_ is your biggest gripe with this whole thing?" Lucas wanted to know, eyebrow raised. "We've been transported to a medieval world. Shouldn't that be more of an issue?"

Mikhail sighed, looking around him. "I'm not exactly sure we've been transported, per say."

Chloe turned towards him. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I've seen Inception." Mikhail shrugged.

Whitney eyed Mikhail as if he was a little wary of his weirdness. "And...?"

"Well, my _point_ is, do any of us remember how we got here?" Mikhail wanted to know, seeing the realization on their faces that no, they couldn't exactly remember how they'd gotten from the school to this place. "That, added with the fact that I cannot use my powers no matter how much I tried while I was walking behind everyone, and Chloe's the _only one_ who seems to have watched this show... Well, it can only mean one thing."

Diana's eyes widened as she turned to look at Chloe. "We're in your dream."

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Davis eyed the auditorium filled with sleeping people with utter wariness. Every single person was asleep, some in their seats, others, who'd been standing when whatever had happened _had_ happened... such as Lex, were on the floor. As Davis stepped over some of the people, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what the prince in Sleeping Beauty had felt like while he was traversing the cursed realm of the sleeping princess. He paused, noticing Jason about to fall off his seat, wondering if he should straighten his friend of let him fall. It would serve him right.

Jason could have handled Davis' Enthrallment better, the dark haired guy remembering Jason's needless baiting concerning the Firstborn and a little sore that his friend would act so childishly possessive like that. Especially when the girl obviously didn't belong to him; whoever she was. Also, Jason had been acting really oddly lately around him, and a part of Davis wondered if somehow that had the disappearance of his drawing pad had any connection, but he couldn't exactly see how they could. It had to be a coincidence.

Deciding to leave Jason to slowly inch closer and closer to the side of the chair, Davis ignored his friend as those dark eyes traversed around at the students before freezing on a face sleeping peacefully with her head leaning against that of a dark haired girl (who looked vaguely familiar) sitting next to her. His feet moved in that direction and Davis quickly found himself pulling seats (with students in them) away so that he could bend on his knees in front of the girl and stare at her. It _was_ her. The girl from Luthorcorp. It was the one he drew.

She was a high school student?

Looking around him in confusion, Davis ran a hand over his face before returning his gaze to the girl, a little shocked she was there.

Who was she?

Maybe-maybe after all this was somehow figured out and solved he could-

Suddenly it hit Davis where he'd seen the brunette from and his dark eyes widened in shock as he turned to stare at _Diana Balcoin_. She'd been a part of the Chance Harbor Circle, but according to Jason, had left Cassie and Chance Harbor to come to Smallville and... stay with her "tiny, spitfire blonde" sister. Chloe. The Firstborn.

Davis felt the breath knocked out of him as his dark gaze returned to the girl before him, the girl who could only be Chloe Balcoin.

"_It's you_."

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Of _course_ Lex Luthor was the ruler of the Hartlands. There was no way that even her mind would give her someone easier to have to deal with. No. And Jason was his right hand man, his best warrior, leader of his soldiers... who were (ironically) the football team, reserves included. Chloe had half hoped Lex would be Darken Rahl, but of course not, he had to be Michael who actually had a spine and a cunning glint to his eyes.

Great.

"What business do you have in the Hartlands?" Lex wanted to know, looking at place on the throne as he eyed them. "I had my men bring you in as you were disturbing my peaceful town with your mere presence. We have not had newcomers such as yourselves before." His gaze was on their clothing, specifically Diana's and hers, before turning to her. "You do not wear clothes that Hartlanders are accustomed to."

"First Councilman," Chloe figured that if Lex had taken Michael's part in the series then this would be his title, "it is not our intention to bring any strife or chaos into Hartland, we merely seek someone."

Lex continued to eye her in silence. "Is that so?" His gaze wandered to each of her group thoughtfully. "You travel with warriors, no chaperones, and your hair is far too long for any of these to be your husband."

Chloe's eyes widened, confused because the hair length wasn't an issue for Hartlanders but for Midlanders and D'Harans. Was her knowledge of the series tainting things somewhat and muddling them?

"Also, it is rare to see a Mord-Sith and a Confessor together, as your powers derive from great differences and you are said to be mortal enemies," Jason announced, proving that Chloe's own mind had changed up the rules of the story. These two knew much more than they should about the genre of the story they were in.

"Yes, we know of your rank, Confessor," Lex declared suavely, eyeing her with a smirk. "Though I must admit, I'm disappointed you didn't wear the Mord-Sith uniform this time as well."

"I don't know." Jason tilted his head as he gazed at her. "The confessor clothes suit her more I think."

Chloe gawked, unable to understand what was going on. "_What_?"

Jason smirked before turning to the footballers. "_Out_." The warriors did as told and when the door closed behind them, he turned to Chloe and raised an eyebrow. "What? You think you're the only one who read the Sword of Truth book series?"

Well, actually, she hadn't read the books, but she'd watched the television series instead.

"_Jason_?" Chloe took a little step towards him in shock.

"Wait, you guys _know_ what's going on?" Greg gawked.

"Obviously this is a dream," Lex declared in a bored fashion, tapping his fingers against his throne's armrest as he rested his cheek against his fist. "This has our dear little Firstborn written all over it."

"It wasn't _on purpose_." She pouted at him before turning her greens on Jason. "Why are you two the only ones other than us who are aware of what's going on?"

"At first we weren't too sure you knew what was going on either," Jason had to admit. "But the way you reacted when we let out information we weren't supposed to know – we realized you were just playing along as we have been ever since this happened."

"Michael Cypher." Lex tapped his fingers harder into the armrest. "You made me _Michael Cypher_."

Chloe flinched. "Again, not on purpose."

"Michael Cypher." Lex wasn't letting go of that point. "A crude, ambitious, pudgy know-it-all – you made me _him_."

"_Sorry_," Chloe grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't take it so personally."

"Yeah," Greg agreed. "At least _you_ weren't wearing a _dress_."

"Dress?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Wizard's robes." Whitney supplied the answer.

"Ah." Jason nodded before turning to Lex. "Lighten up. You could have been Darken Rahl."

"Of course, _warrior Brandstone_." Lex sneered at that before taking in a deep breath and sighing, standing as he turned to Chloe, still having the grace and poise that it took to pull off Darken Rahl and shocking the girl even more that he wasn't him. "So I've been informed I have a brother." He raised an eyebrow. "A _Van_."

Chloe's eyes widened. "_Van_? Van McNulty?" She blinked. "_He's_ the Seeker?"

"Well, at least _that_ reaction of yours is true to your character." Lex, just like Greg before him, was truly not letting go of his grudge as to what her subconscious had done with him. "Jason, have your men equip us with horses. And have one of them "accompany" us to my father's home, where we will no doubt find this brother of mine."

Lucas sneered, shaking his head.

"Of course." Jason nodded, going to do as told.

Chloe watched him go.

"So, you are a Balcoin; a part of the Circle that tortured my sister and my friend." Lex's gaze was on Mikhail, his voice neutral.

"And _you_ are the Luthor who, for years, actively planned on killing _my_ sister so you could appropriate her magic for yourself," Mikhail commented just as neutrally.

"This is true," Lex admitted with no shame. "Patricia was the one who convinced me otherwise... But you must already know the power of persuasion she holds in her deceptively delicate hands." He eyed Mikhail. "How well do you know her? How long was she in cohorts with your Circle?"

"You asking if any one of us were porking Delilah Dear?" Lucas seemed unable to control himself, sneering ugly at Lex. "Sorry to tell you we weren't, but that's only because she was obviously in love with someone else." He eyed Lex before smirking. "And it wasn't you."

Lex just eyed Lucas, his face blank but his eyes dark.

"That's _enough_." Mikhail turned to Lucas, voice harsh.

"But I was just getting to the _good_ part," Lucas continued to taunt darkly. "The juicy bit that I'm _sure_ he wants to hear all about."

"Lucas." Chloe eyed him.

A muscle jumped in Lucas' cheek before he sneered at Lex before shaking his head. "_Fine._ I'll play nice."

"Thank you," she acknowledged before turning back to the door when Jason returned, looking just _way_ too nice in those clothes. "Is everything ready?"

"Course." He grinned back at her as he arrived. "How good are you on a horse?"

The blonde went pale, remembering the very bad experiences she'd had on horseback.

Diana went just as pale, finally speaking since this had all gone down. "I've never..." She looked down at her clothes. "These aren't riding clothes. They're tight and uncomfortable and I'm going to fall off!"

Chloe was beginning to hyperventilate herself. "Maybe we can walk."

"Oh _hell_ no." Mikhail wasn't having that. "We have horses. We will take horses." He pointed to Diana's high heels. "Think of her feet. She was complaining over and over again before we reached this place."

Diana worried her bottom lip, looking nauseas. "He's right. I don't know how much more walking I can do in these things." She gave a little cry. "How realistic is it to have warrior women in _heels_? What sort of sadistic-?!"

"Calm down." Whitney brought his hands down on Diana's shoulders, causing the girl to turn her dark eyes on him. "Breathe in, breathe out."

Diana slowly did as told.

"You'll ride with me. Okay?" Whitney watched her as she nodded while still doing the breathing exercises, calming down. "I'm a country boy, I can ride. You'll be fine with me."

"_Thank you_," she squeaked, still obviously a little scared but more relieved than anything else.

Chloe smiled at Whitney, mouthing a thank you to him, before turning to see Jason reach her side.

"I'm not a country boy, but I've been riding a horse since my mother could put me into equestrian events," Jason informed her. "I'll have to take it upon myself to make sure that you get to where the Seeker is in one piece." He leaned down slightly over her, lips a smile. "If that's okay with the great Confessor, of course."

She found her smile going a little mischievous as she stared up into his hazels, which seemed a bit greener today. She noticed that his eyes went from green to hazel sometimes, although mostly they stayed hazel. "You'll do."

Lex cleared his throat. "Well, now that all of _that_ has been decided, let's go."

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There was magic buzzing around all of the students and faculty. It was more than obvious to his touch and yet the strongest magic was somewhat visible over nine individuals in particular: Lex and Jason, the Firstborn and her sister, the two boys sitting on their either side, two boys sitting behind the girls, and another boy farther behind the group sitting on his own. Davis knew that, while the magic was definitely affecting them all, it was affecting these individuals differently and he wondered why. What exactly was happening here?

After waiting for something to happen, Davis had tried waking Jason up when the guy had fallen off his seat and yet continued to snore. He'd given his friend a couple of smacks, but nothing. He was tempted to try to a spell but this was strong magic he was up against and it was binding every single person in this room. There was no way that he could even begin to guess what sort of effect any other spell he might introduce into the mix might cause.

He'd decided though that those nine needed isolation, the man finding some evil pleasure out of dragging Lex and Jason on the ground towards the medical office, which was way too luxurious for a high school in his opinion. He dumped Lex and Jason on the same bed, laying face to feet, and then went back to grab the other four boys, dragging them each to the next beds, lying them feet to face as well. Davis then got the last boy and left him on a seat since there was only one bed left, which after picking up the girls and throwing them over his shoulders, he placed them on.

Davis sat on the doctor's chair, eyeing the patients in the room, waiting for something to happen, for _anything_ to happen but, other than a little grumble from Lex, nothing.

He sighed, leaning forward, wondering exactly what was going on.

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"There's a fire!" the soldier who'd been accompanying them (more like leading) announced as they crested the hill, finding a lone house below on fire, men on horses surrounding it. "An attack on your house, First Councilman! I must get the others!" And with that he turned his horse and raced back in the direction he'd come from.

"I believe," Lex eyed those below, "that those are D'Haran soldiers."

"This isn't right," Chloe whispered from where she was seated behind Jason on his horse, staring down at the Cypher house on fire. "This is all chronologically incorrect. It doesn't happen like this in the series."

Diana peered out from behind Whitney. "We have to help the people they've captured. They're getting hurt!"

True enough, down below one of the soldiers kicked someone to the ground.

"And us without our magic thanks to _someone_." Mikhail turned an accusing look at Chloe.

Jason narrowed his eyes on what was happening below. "Hold onto me as tight as you can."

Chloe only barely managed to do as told before Jason gave the horse a nudge and they were off, racing faster than she was truly comfortable with. She hid her face in Jason's back, the wind whipping at her clothes and hair. She gave a little cry as the horse leapt through the air, her stomach going queasy as she closed her eyes tighter. The ground around them trembled, but Chloe paid it no mind until the horse finally came to a stop.

"Stop in the name of the First Councilman!" Jason withdrew his weapon, holding it out in front of him, the others not having arrived yet. "You are trespassing and attacking people of this village, a slight which will not be overlooked."

Van and Professor Hill, both looking quite beaten, were on the ground.

"It's _you_." One of the men turned towards Jason, pointing his weapon at Chloe. "Get her but be careful! She's more dangerous than she appears."

Jason turned his weapon towards them. "Touch her and you'll lose your head."

Bows and arrows and other weapons trained on Jason.

"It's okay, Jason." Chloe gulped before giving him a little squeeze, letting go, stalling for time, for the others to arrive. She slipped off of the horse before he could stop her, hands out in front of her. "Let these people go."

"Let's not play innocent here." Ranssyn Fane from the television series approached her. "You are the reason these people, the Hartlands, are in danger."

"I don't have the Book of Counted Shadows." She knew because she'd checked, just in case.

"Of course you don't." Ranssyn eyed her in confusion at that. "We know where the book is being guarded and our men are already close to recovering it."

Chloe was completely confused by now. "Then why-?"

"You must understand how you, being the _last_ Confessor, are of great interest to Lord Rahl," Ranssyn declared, reaching into a sack in his horse's saddle and pulling on a Rada'Han. "If you would just place this on and come peacefully with us, no one else will have to suffer."

Thing is, she knew this story and knew that wasn't the truth. "Now that Lord Rahl knows that the Veil can be traversed, he'll never leave the Hartlands alone. He'll want total dominion over these lands as well. My leaving now will only temporarily give peace, so he can rally his men for the invasion."

"Think your actions over carefully, Confessor. Or I'll have to hurt you." Ranssyn grew closer before suddenly his body was flung backwards into his horse, which neighed and ran away.

"I don't think so." Greg reared his horse to a stop, hand held out towards the soldiers.

"A Wizard!"

"Look at his robes – he's of the First Order!"

"On this side of the Veil?"

"Impossible!"

"They are tattered robes; he cannot _truly_ be a Wizard. They wouldn't defile their robes like that."

Greg glared before reaching out with both of his hands, sending the rider who'd said the last part flying through the air.

Whitney, Diana and Lucas dismounted their houses, the boys pulling out their swords as the girl pulled out her Agiel, obviously not exactly sure how to use it but holding it out anyway.

"A _Mord-Sith_ who defies Lord Rahl and joins forces with a _Confessor_." Ranssyn shook his head. "Obviously she must be Confessed and yet why she still lives is a mystery." He turned to Chloe. "I'm sure Lord Rahl will be interested in the answer once you meet him."

Jason swung off of his horse, standing between them, blade out menacingly towards the D'Haran. "Take one step closer and you're going to be a head shorter."

Ranssyn sneered at him. "Do you really think you can match swords with _me_, boy?"

"I wouldn't underestimate his ability with the sword if I were you." Lex was the only one still on his horse, looking quite regal. "His mother might have trained him to be an equestrian, but his father is one of the only people alive who can be on par with mine in swordplay."

Ranssyn unsheathed his sword, sneering. "The Confessor will be coming with me. I'll let you live long enough to see me place this Rada'Han around her neck, throw her onto my horse, and take her away."

Jason's only response was to attack, Ranssyn's blade blocking Jason's with ease.

A soldier screaming behind them proved that Van had used the distraction and yanked a sword from one of the soldiers, using it to run him through.

Another grabbed Chloe and yanked her away as the fight truly began, both sides charging the other. She fought, struggling against the grip before managing to twist around and grab the man's neck, staring into his eyes, and yet the Confession never happened. She tried again, and again, but nothing happened and the man slapped her hand away from him, forcing her towards his horse. Chloe feigned a trip, fell to her knees, and then reached into his boot and pulled out one of the daggers that was already there, slamming it down through the soldier's boot, a roar of pain escaping his lips as he let go of her.

Chloe hurried to her feet, casting a glance around her, searching for her friends in the fury of the battle.

Diana seemed to have figured out exactly how the magic of the Agiel worked, the girl pressing the weapon against one of the soldiers, the skin where it was pressed blackening as he screamed from the pain.

Greg was having the time of his life throwing soldiers back and forth, especially concentrating on the ones who'd commented negatively on his clothes.

As was to be expected given the fact that they seemed to be perfect at everything, Jason and Lex were quite gifted with swords, each holding up excellently against their opponents, although Jason was faring a little less splendidly, but that was to be expected given the fact that the blade he was crossing belonged to Ranssyn Fane and not some nameless D'Haran soldier.

Lucas and Mikhail (the latter actually didn't have a sword but a Horseman's pick) fought using a completely different method than Jason and Lex, their handle of their respective weapons less graceful but more forceful, and Chloe couldn't help but wonder if her father had taught them how to fight with weapons.

Whitney wasn't fairing as well with his sword, only barely dodging the blows of his opponent.

Worry for him filled her and she didn't notice the other soldier until he grabbed her, forcing her hands to cross over her chest and her back against his chest, trapping her against him.

"You can't get out of this one witch," the man breathed into her ear.

The blonde brought her head back hard against his face and when he let go, crying as he staggered back, grabbing at his bleeding nose, she instinctively reached for him when he looked up. She hooked her hand around the back of his neck, her skin against his, and then pushed up on her tiptoes, bringing her lips to his, tasting his blood as she kissed him. Instantly she could feel her power entering him and, as her eyes opened, she saw his darkening with the power of Confession, shocked to realize that in her dream world, the Confession was _much more_ like the Enthrallment than its original version.

"Command me, Confessor," he whispered adoringly.

The soldier managed to hit Whitney's sword in such a way that it flung out of his hand.

Chloe pointed towards Whitney. "Help him."

The Confessed soldier rushed to do as she wanted.

Chloe turned and watched him as he did so, and thus was unprepared for the blow to the back of her head that rendered her unconscious.

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**TBC**


	54. Dance of the Butterflies

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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When Chloe came back to, it was to dying embers and snores around a campsite. A D'Haran campsite filled with D'Haran soldiers. She was tied with her hands behind her back, lying on her side on the ground. Most of the soldiers were sleeping although Chloe could see shadows away from the campsite of those on guard. The girl arched forwards, bending her knees, trying to reach into her boots and pull out a dagger that should be there but found out she wasn't half as flexible as she thought. A soft groan escaped her lips and she sighed, looking around as best as she could in her position. No one had awoken with the noise she'd made.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe straightened her arms as much as she could, arching her back and biting back a groan as she tried somehow slipping her bound wrists past her ass like she'd seen in so many movies. Apparently one had to be much more flexible than she was to accomplish that also. The girl ended up whimpering in pain, giving up, face red from exertion and frustration.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe closed her eyes tightly, telling herself to wake up. If this was her dream then all she had to do was to wake up and all of this would be over. She could wake up. She _could_... _not_ wake up.

Opening her eyes in annoyance, Chloe struggled, rolling back and forth, until she finally found momentum and managed to sit up, staring around her, in deep thought as to what exactly her next step should be.

Also, where were her friends and how were they? Had they been hurt?

Chloe tried using magic to get rid of the binds and yet, like Mikhail, she found herself unable to use magic, gulping because if she truly couldn't use magic, how exactly was she going to get them out of this dream of hers before someone got seriously hurt?

Feeling something cold against her throat, Chloe stared down as best as she could, eyeing a flash of silver around her neck. The Rada'Han. They'd managed to get it around her neck while she was out. A moment's panic filled her as she tried looking around for Ranssyn Fane, sure that if anyone had the only key that could open it for her, it was him, but she couldn't see the soldier anywhere. He was probably out scouting the territory.

Stumbling to her feet, Chloe looked around her before beginning to slowly make her way towards the woods. She didn't exactly know where she was going, but away from the D'Harans was as good a direction as any. She'd find a way to get the Rada'Han off somehow, even without the key. What mattered now was she put as much distance between her and the campsite. The girl took a direction at random, running once she was far enough from the soldiers, and continued running until her legs hurt and her knees threatened to give out on her. Still she pushed on, forcing herself forwards, until the sun was dawning in the sky and her legs couldn't take it anymore, the blonde falling, her shoulder taking the brunt of the blow as she hit the earth.

Crawling towards a tree, Chloe forced herself to sit up, leaning against the bark as she breathed in and out. She closed her eyes, trying to force the Rada'Han open. This was her dream, by all rights she should be able to control it, and yet no matter how hard she tried, the Rada'Han continued to faithfully continue its work and kept her magic inactive within her.

The ground trembled beneath her, Chloe's eyes widening in fear as she recognized the sound of hooves against the grass. The D'Haran soldiers were upon her! They were going to find her! All this running had been for nothing!

Despite the fact that she was nearly dead on her feet and knew she couldn't outrun them, Chloe took off running before the riders could crest the hill, refusing to give in, to let herself be caught so easily. She pushed on harder, her body and mind fatigued, the girl stumbling more than once as those horses drew nearer. Her heart raced in terror before her knees gave out on her as a horse drew close, but before she could fall, someone grabbed her by the back of her dress and used momentum to swing her up onto the front of his saddle, the girl laying across the horse on her stomach, giving a little cry in fear of slipping right off.

There was the flashing of a blade and then Chloe's hands were free as the horse came to a stop. She tried fighting, tried slipping off and running but she was so tired and-

"Chloe, calm down!"

The blonde stopped fighting, though she _did_ slip off the horse onto the ground in a tired mess, looking up at Jason Teague though tears of tiredness and relief.

Jason slipped off of his horse and bent in front of her, hesitating a second before reaching out to brush at a tear she hadn't realized she'd shed. "What did they do to you?"

"We need to get going," Lex was behind on his horse, face impassive. "If she's on foot then they are not far behind."

Jason nodded, reaching out his hand towards Chloe, who slipped hers into his. He helped her to her feet before his hands went to her hips and lifted her onto the horse. The proud equestrian mounted behind her, one grip on the reigns and the other around her waist, anchoring her to him. "You won't fall off," he promised her softly in her ear before giving the reigns a flick, urging the horse on as Lex took the lead ahead of them, guiding the way.

"Where is everyone?" Chloe asked, the wind and tiredness half slurring her words.

"We broke off into groups to look for you after you were captured," Jason replied. "Lex and I took this route while Diana, Whitney, Greg and Van went one, and Mikhail and Lucas another. We all agreed on a meeting place this evening and that's where we're heading."

"Van-?"

"Realizes this is a dream," Jason declared, urging the horse faster, to meet Lex's pace. "We have a theory that your Circle realizes that this is a dream because they're _your Circle, _whereas Lex, Van and I know because we were already aware of the Sword of Truth book series/Legend of the Seeker television series, so our brains knew this was a fantasy."

"But what about Diana, Lucas and Mikhail?" Chloe wanted to know. "They're not a bound part of my Circle."

Jason was silent, thoughtful. "Maybe what is helping Mikhail and Diana is their Balcoin blood and connection to you in that way."

But that still left Lucas.

Chloe was too tired to ask too many questions though, instead resting hard against Jason, yawning as she allowed herself to relax despite the fact that they were racing on the horse. She gripped hold of the arm Jason had around her, anchoring herself to him as best as she could, fighting to keep from falling asleep as her fatigue fell onto her like a warm blanket. Her eyes kept closing, and while Chloe battled it, she found her eyelids falling closed and her head turned, the blonde falling asleep with her cheek against Jason's beating heart.

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"What if they've hurt her?" Diana knew she was freaking out and not doing any good but she couldn't help it. "What if they've-what if-"

"Diana, you're starting to get _me_ freaked out, okay?" Greg made a face. "Chloe's fine, she's a Confessor, remember that? They apparently can handle themselves."

"They can," Van declared, just as at ease on horseback as the other boys, making Diana feel envious. "Although Chloe's ability as Confessor is a little different than the conventional type." He appeared curious. "I wonder why."

It'd been a shock to realize that Van had actually watched the same series Chloe had, and thus had basically known what his role was. The boy helped Greg figure out he had a sword to give him and had walked Greg through the whole Naming of the Seeker. Van was obviously quite psyched with what was going on, content to live through this little fantasy, and not questioning anything too much. As he'd said before, this was Smallville and "weird shit" happened in Smallville all the time. At least this time he got to be the True Seeker.

"It's going to be fine." Whitney patted the hands she had around him. "This is Chloe we're talking about. She's probably Confessed them all and have them as her slaves doing her bidding."

Diana nodded, yet was still worried.

"I doubt that," Van declared with a little frown. "Before she got taken away, I saw them place the Rada'Han around her neck. Unless she got the key and was able to take it off she'll be unable to use her magic."

"_What_?" Diana turned to look at him in horror. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

"Positive." Van nodded. "I don't remember if the person wearing the Rada'Han feels pain when they try to use magic or not – it's been a while since I actually saw the series – but I _do_ know that it removes the link between a person and their Han, or their magic, and she can only take it off with the key. So if she's still wearing the Rada'Han, she essentially has no powers."

Greg gulped, visibly disturbed by this. "We should probably pick up the pace. She might be just a little bit ahead of us."

Whitney took in a deep breath before urging his horse faster.

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Considering they'd found Chloe, the twosome made their way straight towards the meeting point, knowing that it would be a while before the others arrived as they were still out searching for the sleeping blonde. Lex tied his horse within the little hidden grove they'd found, going towards Jason's horse and holding his arms out for the sleeping girl so he could help her down. Jason eased the girl into Lex's arms, the bald witch accommodating the girl in his grip as he moved towards the meadow inside of the grove, the grass and flowers brushing against his boots as he made his way.

Jason appeared, having tied his horse as well, placing the saddle blanket on the grass.

Lex lowered the girl onto the blanket before sitting down, contemplating starting a fire and yet not wanting the smoke to give them away to any soldiers that might come their way.

Jason bent, curling half of the blanket around Chloe's sleeping body, hesitating for a second as his fingers traced the silver around her neck. "They've placed a Rada'Han on her."

Lex had noticed that from before and merely nodded, staring ahead of him. "Once she's awake, we need to convince her to take it off."

"I doubt she has the key." Jason sat down next to her, eyeing Lex.

"She _is_ the key, Jace." Lex finally turned his gaze upon his friend before the blues rested on Chloe thoughtfully. "All of this is because of _her_. This is _her_ dream. She has the power here. If she truly wanted that Rada'Han off, she could take it off."

"Why would she keep it on then? It makes no sense." Jason made a face.

"Maybe, because deep down inside, she _wants_ it," Lex replied, scanning the tired yet peaceful sleeping face of the Firstborn Balcoin. "Because with it, she doesn't have a power she can't control to the point that if she merely kisses someone..."

Jason's eyes widened as he turned his hazels on the sleeping girl as well. "I see."

"I don't know if you do," Lex admitted, watching as butterflies flew around the girl, a monarch perching on the tip of her ear while a Blue Morpho and a Ulysses butterfly landed on her hair. An Anise Swallowtail and Buckeye danced in the air while a Queen butterfly rested on the ring finger of the hand Chloe hand nestled by her head, its wings fluttering delicately.

"What do you mean by that?" Jason finally looked up from Chloe to Lex, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do you know what it means to see butterflies in your dreams?" Lex eyed the butterflies that seemed fascinated by the sleeping girl. "A butterfly signifies longevity, creativity, romance, joy and spirituality. It shows that the dreamer is experiencing a new way of thinking or undergoing some sort of transformation." He eyed the two intertwined butterflies; the Anise Swallowtail and the Buckeye. "To see two butterflies represents romance and a long and happy marriage." His gaze then went to the butterflies as a whole. "If there are several butterflies, it symbolizes acceptance, growth, inspiration and _freedom_."

Jason's gaze went to the Rada'Han as he realized what Lex had all along. "Freedom from the ability to Enthrall."

"Yes." Lex sighed, reaching out his hand towards the tame butterflies, watching as the Anise Swallowtail and the Buckeye danced in the air before landing on his finger, eyeing him thoughtfully. "This is Chloe's own subconscious desire to be free manifesting itself."

The butterflies took to the air again before returning to Chloe.

The two men sat in silence, watching the girl sleep, and the butterflies parade around her.

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Davis could feel the magic in the air, more than usual, and when Chloe gave a little whimper, he sat up straighter, watching her as she arched her back, lips parted... and then from within her mouth crawled out a large Monarch butterfly followed by a Queen butterfly.

Dark eyes widened in shock as he watched the butterflies flap their damp wings, drying them as they made their way to her hair, perching there and continuing to flap their wings gracefully, almost as if living hair ornaments.

Gulping, the witch leaned forwards in his seat, running his hand over his face, completely baffled as to what the hell was going on.

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Lucas and Mikhail were silent most of the ride, not coming across much of anything and both quite sure that the soldiers that'd taken Chloe had not come in this direction. Still, they continued just so that they could say they'd done as they'd agreed to. And also because the reason why there weren't any hoof prints or anything else which would indicate soldiers on horseback could be due to the work of a Wizard.

"She Enthralls," Lucas finally spoke, staring ahead of him. "You know how _rare_ an ability that is amongst Balcoin Firstborn girls?"

"Of course I do." Mikhail scoffed at the question, tightening his grip on the reigns.

Lucas gazed around him before returning his gaze to his friend. "So, Diana."

Mikhail continued to stare ahead of him. "What about her?"

"She and Cassie killed John." Lucas was always straight and unto the point. "I know you and he didn't throw pigskins in the backyard or anything, but you _are_ the only child he kept to raise himself. You knew him. He was your father." He cleared his throat. "And she helped kill him."

Mikhail's dark gaze went to Lucas. "Your point being?"

"Don't you, I don't know, what to hurt her for that?" Lucas wanted to know curiously.

"Of course I do." Mikhail sneered, shaking his head. "But she's in an alliance with our eldest sibling and if I want to be in an alliance with Chloe, I'm going to have to put away personal feelings."

"What about Cassie?" Lucas was, as always, the devil's advocate. "She's not in an alliance with Chloe. Think she'd mind if something happened to her?"

Mikhail thought it over. "It's very tempting."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I'm sensing a 'but'."

"But I don't think I'd manage to keep Chloe's trust if one of our siblings died and it was somehow traceable in any way back to me." Mikhail made a face, obviously unhappy with this but resigned. "I used to wonder why father would never tell me more than my siblings' names and why he'd never tell me about the Firstborn, even when he'd obviously found him or her."

"I did wonder myself." Lucas eyed him curiously as he simultaneously reached up as they passed under an apple tree, plucking a ripe fruit and taking a bite out of it, chewing and swallowing. "It's not as if you'd have assassinated those older than you so you'd be the First."

Mikhail watched the trail of juice from the apple drizzle down Lucas's chin before the other boy wiped it away. "We're in a _dream_, Lucas."

"And?" Lucas took another bite.

"You're eating," Mikhail pointed out. "My legs are chaffing from riding. The wind – I can _feel_ it."

Lucas just continued to chew and swallow, waiting for Mikhail to continue.

"This might be a dream, but it's a _reality_ as well." Mikhail took in a deep breath, smelling the apples in the air before leveling his dark gaze on his friend. "Do you _understand_ the sort of _power_ it takes to do something like this?"

"Didn't John say that one of the Trials was a mental one similar to this one? Where the Firstborn would be subjected to a situation, mostly based on the medieval system of Balcoin ruling, in which she'd have to prove that she was not only capable of ruling the Balcoins, but that she'd choose their best over her own?" Lucas wanted to know curiously. "What if that's this?"

"No." Mikhail shook his head. "I overheard her Circle talking. Apparently she already had that test. Also? She abolished the Trials before finishing them. This is of her own making."

Lucas' eyes widened in shock. "She – she _abolished_ the Trials?"

"Exactly." He could see that it was finally registering on his friend's face. "The power my sister holds is – is beyond what my father ever did."

Lucas' eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you saying?"

"My father kept us apart, never let me know about my siblings, because he wanted to be our only common thread, the thing that brought us together," Mikhail declared with a little breath. "He had a plan for dominion in place, remember that?"

"And what? You think he suspected he might die at the hands of his children?"

"No, I doubt that." Mikhail shook his head. "Do you remember what he told us about his Trials?"

"About which part?" Lucas asked curiously.

"About the last Trial." Mikhail was deep in thought. "He said that the last Trial was _always_ about the _power_ the Firstborn or First had within them. He said it was one of the most important Trials. Do you remember that?"

Lucas went still. "You're thinking that this dream is a consequence of her not going through that Trial and learning about controlling her power."

Mikhail nodded slowly. "Not only that, but do you remember what was told to him when he passed the last Trial?"

Lucas tried to remember before nodding. "Yes. That through him, the Great Winged Serpent would rise again and the Balcoin family would rise to prominence and power like they'd never had, even in their glory days."

"Which is why he wanted the crystal which held Francis Balcoin's dark magic. Because he believed that, in using Francis' black magic, he'd be fulfilling that prophecy."

Lucas frowned. "What are you saying, Mik?"

"Lucas, that sort of magic, Francis' and father's... it shouldn't have been as completely impossible to find as it was when we went to Chance Harbor after father's death. The Circle there are untrained witches who wouldn't have the power to hide it from us. Not when it was formed and contained such powerful magic from my bloodline."

Lucas remained silent, waiting.

"_Lucas_." Mikhail's gaze was severe. "What if father's prophecy was misunderstood? What if _he_ wasn't the one who'd bring this new Balcoin revival? What if it was _through him_ and yet not _by_ him?"

Lucas stopped his horse, turning it to face Mikhail's. "Chloe."

Mikhail nodded. "When Patricia was telling her about the crystal having John's magic trapped inside of it, Chloe had a look of horror on her face, of confusion and of _knowing_." He urged his horse a little closer. "Lucas, I don't think we're going to ever find the crystal. I think the power inside of that crystal is gone, which would mean it entered someone and the crystal itself disintegrated."

"You think she has their dark magic in her." Lucas looked like he was lightheaded at the realization.

"The mark on Luthor and Teague, it's of a winged serpent," Mikhail responded. "They were branded as a part of her Trial and I'm assuming they would have been a part of the last test and since she abolished it before it could be done, they're still branded."

Lucas ran his hand over his hair. "I never noticed their hands, I – a winged serpent?"

"During the Trials, those who will have roles to play are marked by a symbol that represents the user's magic," Mikhail reminded. "And the only other person that has been recorded as a winged serpent was Francis Balcoin."

"It's _her_," Lucas whispered in awe. "_She_ is the one who the prophecy was talking about. She's the Great Winged Serpent who would work using John and Francis Balcoin's powers added to her own." Lucas dropped the apple he'd been nibbling on. "Mik... your sister..."

"I know." Mikhail nodded. "I don't think _she_ does though."

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Chloe woke up and stretched, pausing in mid-stretch to find butterflies perched on her arms. She blinked, wondering if somehow sleep had addled her mind, but nope, they were still there. Greens eyed the butterflies curiously.

"Hello."

At the sound of her voice, they took off in a cloud of rainbow colors.

Chloe brought her hand to her forehead to help shield her gaze from the glare as she watched them go, giving a little smile as she watched the butterflies dance in the air.

"I find it _very_ weird that you were sleeping in a dream."

Chloe turned towards the voice, smiling as she pushed to her feet. "I had butterflies on me while I slept."

"That you did," Jason agreed curiously as he drew closer.

"Where's Lex?" Chloe asked, gazing around them in the meadow, unable to see him anywhere.

"He's patrolling around, making sure we weren't followed. I just came back from my own patrol and we've swapped assignments," Jason replied, reaching out to curl a finger around the Rada'Han she wore. "You should take this off."

"I've tried but I can't. I don't have the key and my magic doesn't work at all with it." She shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure what my next move should be."

"You sure about that?" he asked in an odd tone.

Chloe gaze rose to him questioningly. "Well..." The girl hesitated a second before reaching out and placing her hand on his chest. "I... while I can't..." She drew closer, licking her lips, blush crawling up her neck. "I might never have this opportunity again."

Jason gulped slightly as he stared down at her.

Chloe pressed up on her tiptoes and trailed her hands up his chest, clutching his shirt as she slowly pulled Jason down towards her, her lips brushing against his softly.

He seemed to be fighting a battle before finally his hands moved from his sides and wrapped around her as he kissed her back.

Smiling into the kiss, unable to believe how unbelievably _incredible_ it was to kiss someone without her ability to Entrall on her mind in one way or the other, Chloe tilted her head to grant Jason better access as one of his hands grabbed her hair and his kiss grew harder.

Neither of them noticed the lanky body leaning against a tree, bathed in the shadows, arms folded over his chest as he watched them in silence.

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**TBC**


	55. The End of the Dream

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"It's not our business," Greg tried to assure. "It's not even _really_ happening!"

Van unsheathed the Sword of Truth. "I'm the Seeker, even if this is only some weird fantasy, but while I have the Sword of Truth, I _cannot_ just go by this and not help." With that his horse reared and then took off towards the caravan that was being attacked.

"We don't have _time_ for this," Whitney hissed. "As much as it hurts me to admit it, Arkin's right. This isn't really happening – it's not important."

"Is it?" Diana asked, watching Van's back as he charged the bandits. "If we really felt that way, we wouldn't be searching for Chloe the way we are."

Whitney's head lowered. "_Fine_." And with that he urged the horse towards the bandits.

"Just _great_." Greg could be heard grumbling behind them before joining in.

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Lex wondered exactly when his right hand had become such a weak spirit as the one he was displaying at this moment, holding Chloe closely and giving into her temptation instead of doing what he should have. The young leader of the Circle let out a little sigh, having hoped that Jason would use what little influence he had over the girl to convince her to take off the Rada'Han, for everyone's best interest, and yet Lex wondered whether explaining things had been the best course of action. Jason hadn't seemed to have realized that the Rada'Han – or the mental block she'd unknowingly conjured up with the appearance of a Rada'Han – had basically nullified Chloe's powers and while there'd been a little hesitance on Jason's part at first, he'd now given into the girl. And it wasn't the Enthrallment to blame.

A part of Lex was fascinated with the realization that Chloe _could_ control the Enthrallment, even if unknowingly. And yet another part of Lex (a greater part) was highly annoyed as he continued to watch those two kiss in the middle of a meadow surrounded by flowers and butterflies, almost as if they were a part of some fairy tale that was playing itself before his eyes.

This was hardly the time or place for this and Lex was more than sure that Jason used to have better self control than this around women. Sure, he'd been something of a heartbreaker (Davis was the only male in their Circle – before Lex and Oliver had gotten in relationships with Patty and Tess – who hadn't been a born Casanova) and yet Lex couldn't see his normally composed right hand man acting like this – and he couldn't even blame the Enthrall either because it was obviously being controlled and held back. This was all Jason.

Lex took in a deep breath, eyes narrowed on the couple, who were now kneeling in the grass, Jason's hands in Chloe's hair and Chloe's clutching at his shirt desperately as they kissed deeper.

The bald witch's annoyance was growing, and rapidly.

Up above him, the sunny sky began turning dark.

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To be honest, every time she fought with the Agiels a part of her screamed that this was obviously dark magic, that it was the Balcoin in her using the Agiels, fueling them, but Diana pushed away her self-judging and just concentrated on fighting. She stumbled a couple of times (damn these heels!) but as Diana forced two of the bandits to the ground in screams as she pressed hard with the Agiels, she found herself smiling slightly.

One of the bandits was a Wizard, a low class Wizard but still one, and she only realized it when he sent a cloud of fire racing towards Whitney, whose back was to the Wizard and was unprepared.

Diana's eyes widened and she reacted on instinct, raising her hand towards the flames, flinging them back towards the Wizard – the fire consuming him entirely.

She gulped.

Whitney looked behind him in confusion, not having realized that she'd just saved his bacon.

Greg sent three of the bandits flying. "Leave now before we _really_ hurt you."

The bandits didn't need being told twice, running away as fast as their bruised bodies could take them.

"_Thank you_," the old woman Van had been protecting whispered, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

Van just smiled at her, helping her to her feet. "You and your family are safe now."

Diana still continued to look at her hands, not sure how she'd done what she had considering she'd thought she was only able to use the Agiel and not real magic.

"You're a Mord-Sith." Van had left the old lady and her family, coming to stand next to Diana, watching the bandits disappear over the hill. "If someone uses magic in front of you, you can turn it on its wielder."

"Oh." That was all she could say, just staring at her leather gloved hands.

"Let me ask you something." Van watched Whitney and Greg helping some of the wounded. "You say we're in a dream. It's Chloe's, isn't it?"

Diana remained silent, merely looking at her hands.

"I see." Van cleared his throat. "Is this because it's the full moon tonight?"

Diana blinked and looked at him finally, confused. "Huh?"

"You know, the full moon," Van pressed, making a face. "I figure it's too much of a coincidence to overlook considering what's in her veins and everything. It must be finally manifesting itself, like she's come of age or something."

Diana continued look at him in confusion until she remembered something Chloe had told her once. "She's not a werewolf."

"Of course she's not. And you guys are _definitely_ not her wolfpack." Van patted Diana's shoulder with a very visible wink before joining the others.

Diana watched him go, her lips twitching in reluctant amusement.

It would appear that Chloe was never going to get Van to believe she wasn't a werewolf.

The poor girl.

"We should start heading back." Greg looked up from where he was talking with one of the people they'd helped. "They've come from the direction we were going and said they haven't seen any soldiers."

Diana worried her bottom lip as her gaze turned to the direction they'd come from.

Hopefully one of the other groups had had better luck.

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They'd decided to start their way to the meet up place early, more than sure that this was not the direction that the soldiers had brought Chloe in. The two boys were silent, their conclusions from earlier still ringing in their ears. The two kept sending the other little, thoughtful looks, questions in those orbs before they'd look away with identical sighs. They'd known that as the Firstborn, Chloe should be the most powerful of their family, and yet neither of them were prepared for this. It was somewhat daunting. If what they were thinking was correct, there had never been a Balcoin as powerful as Chloe and never would be.

"I definitely cannot even contemplate revenge on Cassie or Diana anymore." Mikhail finally broke the silence. "I wouldn't want someone with Chloe's power against me or even _annoyed_ with me."

"I'm a bit relieved that I've always been Team Balcoin," Lucas admitted, scratching the back of his ear nervously. "I think I'm going to stop flirting with her now though."

"Not that you were having any sort of success on that front," Mikhail reminded.

Lucas made a face at him but refused to answer that, gaze returning ahead of him. "I _need_ to be a part of her Circle, Mik. We both do, no matter _what_ it takes."

"I know," Mikhail responded softly.

The two rode the rest of the way in silence.

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Jason stiffened just as something sharp pressed against the front of her chest, Chloe's eyes widening in horror at the taste of blood in her mouth as she pulled away. His hazels were wide, going greener as his skin paled, the man holding his stomach – from which a blood-stained arrow protruded.

"_Jason_?" she whispered in horror as he collapsed to the ground revealing D'Haran soldiers pouring into the meadow, an archer still training an arrow at Jason. "_No_."

He coughed up blood, which splattered onto her face, before his eyes closed.

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Davis leaned down over Jason, pinning the man's body to the bed as it jerked violently. "What the hell, man?"

Suddenly Jason's eyes flew open and he took in a deep breath, looking around him in disorientation. "What – what happened?"

"You're awake," Davis whispered, letting go of Jason and backing away. "How? Why?"

"I died in Chloe's dream." Jason blinked, sitting up and running his hands over his chest before he noticed the others sleeping, his gaze falling onto Chloe before he tensed. "What are you doing here, Davis?"

"Really?" Davis made a face. "I think there are more important questions than why I'm here. Like how do we get them out of this dream you all are sharing?"

"Well, I died in it." Jason took in a deep breath. "I guess they all have to die too."

"Or wake _her_ up," Davis announced, now having confirmation that this was indeed the Firstborn's dream. "But how do we do it without unknowingly putting everyone in danger?"

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"_Jason_?" Chloe stared down at his body, horrified and numb, her hand going from the nonexistent pulse in his neck, to the non-beating heart in his chest, to the absence of breath from his lips. She stared down into his blank eyes, trembling as tears began to trail down her cheeks onto his face reminding her of the day she'd saved him from her father's curse and yet there was no salvation for him. He was dead. She'd killed him. This was her dream and she'd killed him in it. Didn't they say if you died in a dream, you died in real life? "_I killed him_."

"Come now, Confessor," Ranssyn Fane announced, coming forwards. "Don't make us have to kill your other friends."

Chloe looked up, only now seeing through the wall of tears to the fact that they had Mikhail and Lucas, both boys beaten up and yet still alive, captive. She could feel a shock of darkness racing through her.

The archer fell, a dagger in his gut.

Lex emerged from the tree-line, his sword drawn.

Chloe's magic boiled in her veins.

"You have chosen an unwise battle, First Councilman." Ranssyn Fane sneered. "You will die just as easily as-" He then coughed, grabbing his throat.

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"Are those-?" Jason eyed the butterflies flying around one of the many potted flowers in the infirmary.

"They came out of her," Davis declared oddly, staring at Chloe. "Out of her mouth."

"_What_?" Jason would have turned to face Davis but he realized something, eyes wide. "Davey, the plants, they're dying."

He then realized that the winged serpent design on his palm was gone.

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Lex stood there, eyes unable to leave Chloe as she stood in the middle of the clearing, her pupils having dilated like they had the other night. Wind and magic whipped around her as the D'Haran soldiers collapsed to the ground, grabbing at their throat, burning up from the inside out. Lucas, Mikhail and Lex himself were untouched by this dark magic that sapped the life out of those soldiers, bringing them to the ground without the girl having even moved a finger. She just stared ahead of her, tears falling down her cheeks as the soldiers withered on the ground around them.

Above her, a swarm of butterflies rose from the grass, covering the sky completely, their normally silent wings sounds like war drums as they flapped in unison in the wind above them, darkening the skies.

The girl stood there numbly, not even seeming to know what was going on in front of her, reminding Lex too much of that night when she'd nearly killed him. And yet this time, her black fury wasn't against him, this time he was the one protected as he slowly drew closer, able to walk closer to her and seeing the nearly translucent shadows surrounding her, emerging from her and moving like fog, like clouds, around her.

She was...

"_Magnificent_."

Lex's gaze turned to where Mikhail and Lucas (who'd been the one to speak Lex's thoughts) stood staring in awe at Chloe.

The bald witch returned his gaze to Chloe as the last D'Haran withered into ash, but it didn't stop. Chloe continued to stare ahead of her unseeingly as now the grass and trees began to wither, all life being sucked out of the surroundings, her Rada'Han whipping around her neck by the magic, a completely useless trinket betraying by now that Lex had been right. The Rada'Han had never truly been the cork on her powers but her intense desire to deny her ability to Enthrall had.

The leaves began to fall from the trees, turning to ash before they hit the ground.

"Chloe." Lex moved towards the girl. "_Chloe_."

She continued to stare ahead of her.

"_Chloe_." Lex reached for her arm and jerked her closer, trying to break through whatever this was, but Chloe merely continued to stare ahead of her, the sound of the butterflies' wings louder and louder. He raised his voice to be heard over the sound of those wings and the trees slowly disintegrating. "Snap out of it!"

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"What's going on?" Van asked, eyes wide as they gazed at the entrance to the grove they'd decided to meet up in. Everything there was dying, the cloud of death spreading everywhere.

Greg's eyes narrowed, listening to the loud buzzing in the air. "What _is_ that sound?"

"_Chloe_," Diana whispered, somehow just _knowing _her sister was behind this.

Whitney must have realized the same thing when she did because by the time she'd whispered Chloe's name, he'd urged their horse forward into the madness.

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Cracks began forming in the ground all around them, going deep into the core of the earth, heat visibly rising up from them.

"What's she doing?" Lucas wanted to know, stepping forwards. "If she doesn't stop, she's going to kill us all!"

Mikhail didn't do anything but reach out to place his hands over one of the crack, hissing and pulling his hand away went it was scalded by the steam rising up from it.

"Chloe, listen to me, this is just a dream, Jason really didn't die." Lex was in awe at the power of this girl but would prefer if he wasn't in danger while her magic was at work. "People don't really die when they die in dreams." Or, at least, he didn't think so. Either way, it was in his best interest that she believe it. "Jason's really alive."

She continued to stare ahead of her and Lex realized this went much deeper than Jason's death. This was her losing her grip on her magic again, once more agitated by her emotions. The fact that she'd unknowingly trapped the whole damned school in her dream just spoke about her power and her lack of control over it. She was so strong. So incredibly strong. And yet her grasp on it was terribly fragile, as he'd seen numerous times by now.

All the emotional stress she'd been going through lately hadn't helped things either, and Lex realized that he and his family had contributed to this breakdown of hers, to this method of escapism.

And truthfully, as havoc wracked the dream world, Lex thought of her destruction of his father's magically secure place in Metropolis, thought of when she'd come to kill Lex and Jason... saw his father be taken down like _child's play_. Lex stared into those eyes and realized that he must have been lied to because he could feel _no_ power over this girl. There was _no_ magic inside of him that felt like he could reach out, touch her, chant the spell and bind her to him. None.

He'd been lied to.

This girl was a powerful hurricane of power that was untamable, unable to be possessed by someone else or quelled by another power.

He, nor anyone else (be he Luthor or not), would ever be able to forcefully bind this girl and her magic to them.

Lex remembered the smile on Lionel's face as his magically secure building crumbled dangerously from her power.

Yes.

Lex and everyone else had been fooled since childhood.

They'd thought they'd known what the pact was, known what to expect, but they were wrong.

So horribly wrong.

This girl... she'd possess _them all; _was more than capable of binding them to _her_, not the other way around.

Lex was humbled, shocked out of his wits, as he realized that this tiny blonde whose arm he gripped, was the next Big Player. She was the Queen on the chessboard.

"Chloe, you need to wake up now," Mikhail declared. "I don't think Jason is dead but if _your magic_ kills us in your dream, I don't think we'll be so lucky... and I have money riding on Sunday's game so I'd like to live to collect my winnings."

Chloe didn't react to him, her eyes as blank as they'd been when she'd come to kill Lex that night.

Lex took in a deep breath as the world began to crumble around him, reaching out to cup her cold cheek as the butterflies continued beating their wings furiously above them. The images of that night kept rolling in Lex's mind, and he knew all too well what had saved him, what had quelled the darkness inside of the Balcoin magic.

Closing his eyes, Lex leaned down and pressed his mouth to Chloe's before he moved his lips against hers. He could feel her body freeze in shock, the girl finally registering something from the dark place she was in, and he pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss. The Luthor pushed in his magic, feeling it connecting with hers inside as an explosion of magic swept out from her body like a violent wave.

The sounds of the butterflies died, and the darkness disappeared, but Lex didn't notice, kissing her harder, his heart racing in his chest as he could feel her magic responding.

All around them, the earth repaired itself and grass grew while flowers bloomed brightly.

She trembled in his arms and he held her closer, tilting her head back further so he could kiss her deeper, harder, coaxing her mouth open to his exploration and swallowing her gasp.

"Sorry, Arkin, but I have to admit I saw this coming." Van could be heard behind them.

Realizing their audience had grown, Lex tore himself from Chloe with a little growl, frustrated at himself for allowing his guard to fall so very much.

Chloe's knees gave out on her and she collapsed onto them on the ground, her fall padded by the soft grass now beneath her. The girl stared up at Lex in confusion, her lips parted and swollen from his kisses, her hair messed, a dark blush working its way up her neck as her wide eyes stared up at him nearly sparkling in question.

It was at that moment, as he stared down at the girl, that Lex realized with a horrible shock that he actually wanted her, naked in his bed, crying out under him and running her nails down his back as he moved within her. For a second that very image raced before his mind in vivid detail, and the shock was so great that Lex found himself backing away from her, paling as his eyes widened.

"Chloe?" Diana asked from behind Lex. "Are you okay?"

"I think..." Chloe's voice was soft, her gaze still confused, still half dazed. "We need to wake up now."

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They all woke up at the same time, taking in deep breaths and staring around them in confusion. Van was the first to react, stumbling off of his chair and grabbing a trashcan to vomit in, the magic too strong for him. Outside, they could hear others waking up and being sick all over the newly opened, previously immaculate school.

Davis stood by the now fully healed plant, upon which the two butterflies had perched, eyeing Chloe Sullivan as she brought her hand to her head and then trained her gaze on someone.

"_Jason_," she whispered, smiling, such relief in her voice.

Jason smiled at her, a little hesitant yet pleased. "So, you don't die in reality if you die in a dream."

"Something I'm sure we're all grateful for," Lex replied, slipping off of the bed with a little groan, straightening his suit. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're all back safe and sound."

"I'm sorry about – everything." Chloe kept her head bent, a dark blush making its way up her neck, seeming unable to look in Lex's direction.

Lex, for his part, was busy straightening his clothes. "Yes, well, I had a perfect speech written out for the opening ceremony. It would have gone down for the ages." And with that, he walked away without a second glance.

Chloe looked up and watched him go, a confused expression on her face.

Jason looked between the two in confusion as well.

Davis clenched his fists.

Chloe turned to look at him, almost as if having sensed his spike of resentment for being overlooked. "Hello, Davis." She gave him a small smile. "You probably don't recognize me since I don't have the mask on, but my name's Chloe."

He could feel how forced his smile was. "It's good to finally meet you, Chloe."

"Sorry about the, you know, it was unintentional, I _swear_." She gave him a sheepish smile before her gaze went to Van, her sister and the boys having filed out of the room groggily after Lex. "I'll leave you with Jason, sorry for mucking up everything, again." And with that, and one last look to Jason, she hurried out of the room to catch up with Van.

Davis could feel his fists shaking from how tightly he was closing them, disappointment rife within him at their interaction.

"Come on, Dave," Jason placed his hand on Davis's shoulder. "You look like you need something strong, and this whole school smells of vomit."

Jason was right on both counts, so Davis just nodded and followed his best friend out.

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Chloe walked side by side with Van, rubbing his back and feeling so very conflicted about what had just happened. She could tell from the conversations she was hearing that no one remembered exactly what had happened, all believing they'd come down with some sort of flu and were being ordered out of the school (which now stank of vomit). But she could tell Van did remember and Chloe was trying to figure out how to explain this to him. Should she just come out and say she was a witch? Would he freak out? Would it affect their friendship?

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were responsible for this. Also, I'm not freaked by it in case you're worrying about that," Van finally spoke. "If anything, I find this whole thing fascinating, but then it makes sense you can do this, I guess. I mean, your kind is governed by the moon, which affects the brain, so it shouldn't be all that big of a leap once you think about it."

Chloe stared at him, confused. How did he know she was a witch and why the hell did he think witches were governed by the moon?

He turned towards her and gave a little grin, even if he was still a little green around the edges. "Thanks for bringing me along for the ride though, and I'm glad that I remembered. I, well, let's just say I needed this sort of a distraction."

"I didn't do any of this on purpose." She needed him to get that. "I'm still really new to all of this and I don't have control over it."

"Makes sense." Van shrugged, though his expression was curious. "It's got to suck to be you now, though. I mean, you're a girl and you get cranky once a month anyway, so this has got to magnify it. Not that I'm looking for details or anything! I'm just saying, you know, so I don't accidentally annoy you and lose a limb, maybe we should have a secret little hint that it's that time of the month. Like maybe you could use certain jewelry or something."

Chloe just stared at him in confusion and a little embarrassment – because he could _not_ be talking to her so candidly about menstruation! "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, Sullivan, I've got your back." He sent her a grin. "No one will ever learn about your furry little problem from _me_." And with that he walked away, whistling to himself.

Chloe stood there, staring at his back, before it finally hit. "I'm _not_ a werewolf!"

He laughed and continued on, giving her a backwards wave, obviously not at all believing her.

Chloe sighed, running her hand over her face as she whispered: "I'm not a werewolf, I'm a real screw-up of a witch."

"I don't know about that, we get another day free from school," Lucas declared from behind her, the girl turning to see her Circle plus him and Mikhail standing there. "Sounds just about right to me."

Chloe eyed those five, not exactly sure what her future was going to be like given everything, but she still managed a little smile. "I need junk food. Who's in?"

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**TBC**


	56. Truth Will Out

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"What exactly is this?" Chloe asked, eyeing the printed pages in her hands.

"The results of the next Crows game." Mikhail eyed his fingernails, lounging on a chair with his feet up on her desk.

"You can't _know_ what the results will be if the game hasn't actually been _played_ yet." Chloe found it weird that she had to explain this to her younger brother, who was in the same grade as Lucas and Diana (whom, despite passing the test, had been kept back by Principle Kwan because he thought it would do her well to make "friends her age").

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Mikhail, who'd decided on his own that he was now a part of the Torch (just as he'd decided on his own that he would be attending the same school as Chloe), finally raised his dark orbs on his oldest sibling. "This is my pitch for a new segment. I'm thinking it should be called: Mikhail Knows All."

Lucas, who'd been (obviously very reluctantly) dragged into this with Mikhail, sighed. "He wants it to be a predictions page." He then sniggered. "And horoscope page."

"Don't diss horoscopes." Mikhail reached for a ruler on Chloe's desk and slapped it against Lucas' thigh scoldingly.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

Chloe eyed her brother. "Give me a better draft of this, with less detail, and we'll see how it goes in the next few editions of the Torch. See if any of your predictions come true and if they get interest from the readers."

Mikhail smirked. "Leave that to me."

Deciding not to think about it too much, Chloe turned to Diana, who was tapping her pen against her notepad. "What about yours?"

Diana cleared her throat. "Well, when you said to come up with an idea for an article, I admit I kinda had a nervous breakdown because I've never done anything like this before and I had no clue where to start." She licked her lips nervously. "But I was in gym the other day and overheard these two girls talking about strange sounds that have been plaguing the girls' locker room. One thought it was a ghost, another thought that maybe the boys had found a way to sneak in or peek in. A lot of the other girls pitched in saying they'd heard weird sounds too." She tilted her head to the side. "I'd like to investigate it and see what's making the noise and (a) put the girls's minds at ease and (b) protect their – and _my _– decency in case it really _is_ a case of pervy boys."

"Well, if it's the guys, I haven't heard anything about it." Van declared with a shrug. "And I think news like that would have been a well-kept secret circulated only amongst the boys in school."

"If so, why should we trust your word?" Diana wanted to know, eyebrow raised.

"Because," he leaned towards her with a leer, "I don't _need_ a peephole to get a good look."

She blushed slightly before huffing and pulling away, although she still eyed him curiously as he grinned at her.

"What about _you__,_ Van?" Chloe eyed the newly promoted photographer.

"I have an interview with Coach Teague all lined up and he said I could come to the training this evening and take pictures of the team during practice." Van was grinning, more than pleased with his newest appointment, having taken Pete's position as the writer of the Sports section. "Also, Justin asked me to tell you that he'd have his newest comic in to you by email this evening."

Chloe smiled, more than pleased. "All of that sounds great."

Van grinned, obviously quite pleased with himself.

Chloe turned her gaze on Lucas. "And you?"

Lucas blinked, straightening in his seat. "And me what?"

"What's your article pitch?" Chloe asked, eyeing him.

Lucas eyed her as if she were crazy. "I thought I'd just help Mik-"

"He can write his article all on his own, thank you very much." She dismissed the idea completely. "You told me you wanted to be a member of this team." She ignored the accusing look he sent Mikhail. "And so you're going to have to pull your own weight."

Lucas was near a pout, it was obvious. "I don't have an article pitch then."

"Then I'll give one to you." Chloe placed her hands on her hips. "The cheerleaders are going to be throwing a party in which you have to pay to enter and the proceeds are being used to help fund some sort of charity or something like that. Go interview the cheerleaders, get information about the party, find out more information about prices and exactly _what_ charity the proceeds are going to." She smirked. "Unless you'd prefer to sit this one out."

"And disappoint you, boss?" Lucas was grinning brightly, oh so eager all of a sudden. "I'd never _dream_ of letting you down."

"Good." She nodded, gazing at her fellow Torchers.

"So what are _you_ going to do?" Mikhail wanted to know, head tilted to the side, hair falling into his face.

"You mean _other_ than editing everything that you guys write?" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is the first time we have such a great auditorium, and it's perfect for plays, _and_ Lex gave the drama club some grant money so they're not only thinking about doing a play, they are thinking about entering the Kansas National High School Drama Competition. It'd be the first time ever that we would compete, so I figured it was interesting news to promote."

The school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch time.

"That's all, people." Chloe smiled, watching as everyone stood and slipped out of the room to get to their respective classes. She would have followed had she not noticed an email alert flashing on her screen. The blonde gazed at the door before deciding to risk it and going to the computer, logging in and blinking when she realized that the email was from Clark, whom she hadn't heard from since he'd left.

Opening the email, Chloe read it quickly.

_**CHLOE, hope You're fine. I don't have the symbol On my hand anymore. Are the trials over then? Are yoU okay? Things Are interesting here**__**.**__** I can't Really say much more in an email, but PEte and Lana are fine**__**,**__** I can say that much. It's just good that I came when I dId. They seNd their love. Mom and Dad must be pissed at me**__**,**__** huh? I hAven't talked to them siNce I left a voice messaGe telling them I had to go. Have they talked to you about this whole thing? If so, sorRy. Anyway, I can't talk about what's going on here, But I just wanted you to know wE're all fine. Hopefully we can all come back soon and tell you all that's been going on oveR on our side. It would blow your mind. Lana and PEte are A couple now by the way. Does that surprise you as much as it Did me? Somehow I feel that it won't. I've always been verY clueless about other people's feelings, huh?**_

And with that the message ended.

Chloe frowned at the email. Clark had never gotten A's in English but he never usually made this amount of mistakes so obviously he was in a hurry when he'd written it. The girl went to write back a quick email when one of her teachers stuck his head in and told her it was time to get to her classes, so the blonde gave the screen one last look before logging off and getting back to class.

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"Aw, poor Balcoin baby." The witch sneered, drawing near, having used her ability to See to gain the group's trust by helping them. That was, until she'd shown her true colors and had turned the tables on the Chance Harbor Circle, bringing her own in.

"Why are you doing this?" Cassie cried, struggling against the magical vines holding her in place, her black magic trying to race out free but the witch had anticipated this and the drink Cassie had consumed hours before now kept her magic bound within her. "We trusted you! We made you a part of us! How could you betray us like this?"

The witch shook her head. "Foolish girl, haven't you learned by now not to trust anyone?"

Cassie continued struggling.

"What has trusting ever gotten you?" The witch wanted to know. "Other than a dead father, mother and grandmother, the latter both killed by the same person at that."

Cassie went still, eyes widened in horror. "_What_?"

"Someone you knew, you _trusted_, killed both of them Cassie." The witch drew closer. "Someone _so close_ to you."

"_Who_?" Cassie's eyes filled with tears, her body struggling.

The witch grinned as she leaned closer and whispered a name into the blonde's ear. "_Charles Meade_."

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"Well, we knew this was going to happen," Moira declared, eyeing Gabe. "I'm surprised it took this long."

"All he did was fire me though." Gabe frowned, eyeing Moira. "You'd think that he'd do something more drastic. Also, firing me means I'd have to leave Smallville, where he _knows_ we are and could keep a better eye on us. A part of me thought he'd realize that and keep us here if only for that reason."

"Well, he obviously has something planned." Moira went to the window and fingered the curtains open, staring outside, almost expecting to see a dark, unlicensed van outside. "He's readying to make his move, whatever it is."

Gabe nodded in agreement. "We're just going to have to be ready for whatever it is."

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"_You're_ auditioning for the school play?" Chloe held her notepad to her heart as she blinked in surprise at the last person she would have expected to see there after school was finished.

Greg Arkin gave her a dirty little look. "Principle Kwan informed me this morning that _in Luthor Academy_ everyone needs to have _some_ sort of extracurricular activity, so I figured this would be the least amount of work. Just memorize some lines and spit them out. Easy enough."

Chloe still couldn't imagine it. "Greg Arkin: Thespian."

He grumbled before sitting down next to her, feet resting on the top of the seats in front of them. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"_Nope_." She couldn't help the giggle as she wrote down 'GREG IS AUDITIONING!' on the top of the page.

After that, Greg was silent and pouty as he remained seated by her while the rest of the applicants arrived. Their drama teacher went on a spiel about Shakespeare and Lex Luthor, interchanging them many times during the speech (to the confusion of many) before declaring that their first "Dramatic Production" would be "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

What was most surprising of this was the fact that immediately on being told this, Greg turned to Chloe and smirked, declaring that the role of Oberon was his. That meant that Greg had actually read A Midsummer Night's Dream enough to know the characters before they were named. And that just proved that Greg was definitely not the bad boy who hates anything educational, which was the character he often tried to portray since his transformation post awakening. Deep down inside, Bug Boy still lived, and Chloe loved each little peek of him.

When Mrs Harmon asked who'd like to be the first to audition for Oberon, Greg stood tall rapidly, hand to his chest as he held the other out to her. "Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania."

Mrs Harmon brought a hand to her heart, eyelashes fluttering.

Chloe rolled her eyes.

Greg, still very much in character, stood regally as he headed towards the stage. "And the imperial votaress passed on, in maiden meditation, fancy free. Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, before milk-white, now purple with love's wound. And maidens call it Love-in-idleness."

Mrs Harmon was fanning herself with the cue cards. "M-Mr Arkin! How _riveting_." She gave him a little smile as she passed him a script. "Please, start anywhere."

Greg sent her a wicked smile before doing so.

Chloe nibbled on her bottom lip, highly fascinated and amused by this other side of her Circle member.

Greg was in his element and it showed.

Feeling something, Chloe was distracted from Greg's performance, a whisper reaching her ears: _I know who you are..._

Jumping, Chloe looked behind her, seeing no one, but there by the doors... it was _him_. The one who left her the notes! Chloe sent a gaze to where Greg was reciting something and then returned her gaze to the door, finding the guy gone. Her eyes widened as she put down her things and hurried towards the back of the room, slipping out of the door and looking around in time to see a shadow turn a corner.

Without even thinking, Chloe raced after that shadow, glad the halls were empty so she wouldn't get called out for running. She always seemed to be a couple of steps behind this guy though, always only able to catch his shadow as he'd turn corners, the blonde trying her hardest to catch up with him and yet just not able to. Also, she didn't know this new school as well as she had the old one, so she felt like a mouse being led down a long and winding maze, especially when she turned a corner and had to skid to a stop to keep from running straight into the dead end.

Gulping, confused, Chloe looked around her as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Where had he gone? And how could he have escaped so quickly? So easily?

Groaning, the girl turned and leaned hard against the dead end – before screaming as she fell through air, landing on her butt on the floor and staring up at a translucent wall.

Behind the wall, along with her, was the guy.

"_You_." Chloe hurried to her feet, eyes wide. "What do you _want_ with me?"

He tilted his head to the side, eyeing her as if she was the most fascinating thing in the world. "I know who you are."

"I already got that!" she declared, throwing her hands in frustration. "I don't know who _you_ are though so I think it's time we level the playing field and you tell me why you've been stalking me, leaving cryptic messages and-!"

"Do _you_ know who you are?" he interrupted.

Chloe blinked, frowning slightly. "Of course I do."

He continued to observe her. "I don't think you do." He tilted his head. "I think you only know that you're a Balcoin. I don't think you know anything else."

Chloe froze, eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

His stare was penetrating and unnerving. "You know _what_ you are. You know you're a Balcoin. You know you're the Firstborn. You know you're the new Soul of the Balcoin clan. You know _what_ you are." He took a step forwards. "You just don't know _who_ you are."

"Who are _you_?" she whispered, taking a step back, suddenly intimidated. "And why did my father put a spell on you?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" he whispered, backing her into a wall, voice low, eyes intense. "Why don't you take the spell off of me?"

"I don't know what spell is on you, and I don't know _why_ it was placed there to begin with, so why would you think-"

"Your father was a _bad__,_ bad man." The stranger silenced her by placing a finger against her lips, hesitating a second after he did so, eyes wide and letting out a little stuttered breath before recomposing himself and continuing. "The only good thing for me was that he didn't know who you were either."

Chloe jerked her head to the side, freeing her lips from his finger, before glaring at him. "If you're just going to talk in riddles, then don't waste my time. I have my own way of figuring things out." And with that she reached out and pulled him closer as she kissed the handsome young man deeply. It unnerved her a little how easily this method had come to her, but Chloe didn't care, sick and tired of this game he'd been playing with her and more than willing to use any method to find out why he'd been stalking her for so long.

Finally, the blonde pulled away, staring up into his eyes as she took in a deep breath. "Now, let's try this again. Who are you, what spell is on you, why was it placed on you, and why are you stalking me?"

He stared down into her face in utter shock before grinning brightly, shaking his head as he laughed, bringing his hand to his lips. "Sorry, sweetheart, but no dice."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock, realizing her Enthrallment hadn't worked on him. "_How_-?"

His grin grew as he leaned forwards and whispered into her ear. "I'm _immune_ to you."

Chloe gasped as he pulled away, eyes widening as realization hit hard. "You're one of the Six."

He grinned, showing teeth, obviously pleased with her for having figured that out. "That's _what_ I am, not _who_."

Chloe narrowed her eyes on him. "Then _who_ are you?"

"Well, because you asked _so_ nicely..." He smirked, pulling away and giving her space. "I'll tell you _who_ I am."

"Any day now would be great." She raised an eyebrow.

"Now, we wouldn't want to anger the great Balcoin Soul." He was taunting her and enjoying it, seeming to find her annoyance amusing. "While my name is of no importance for now, the _who_ of me is."

"Riddle me _this_." Chloe stepped forwards. "Do you _ever_ just come out and say things as they are? Straight out? Without preamble?"

He grinned before nodding. "Fine." He gave a mock bow and a tilt of his lips. "You really want to know _who_ I am? I'm the only guy alive, other than Lionel Luthor, who knows _exactly_ what the _true_ pact your father made with him is."

A cold chill raced down Chloe's spine as her eyes widened. "How do I know that what you're saying is true?"

He drew closer, driving her back into the wall once more. _"I, John Balcoin, do swear by lineage and blood, by magic dark and wild, to hand over to the Luthor Circle my Firstborn child. Whether male or female, take no mind, this oath I swear intending to bind, my Firstborn to the Luthor Circle given, in exchange for my successful mission. Lineage and blood, magic dark and wild, all within this Balcoin child, joined forever to the Luthor Circle from first awakening to eternal slumber, a living crystal to strengthen their numbers." _He slammed his hands on each side of her head, against the wall, pinning her without even touching her. "I know you've already begun figuring out that that little pact is complete bullshit. Something thought of to tell the others." He smirked. "I _know_ you already suspect the pact is something else entirely."

"What is it?" she whispered, staring up into his face.

"Take the spell off of me and I'll tell you," he countered.

"What spell is it?" she asked softly, determined and yet not about to do just anything for the answers. "Why did my father be-spell you?"

"Because I overheard the pact between him and Lionel and he didn't want _anyone_ ever knowing the truth. Even if that meant cursing _an innocent kid_," the guy declared, staring her up and down. "Are you like your father, Chloe Balcoin?"

The blonde tried to digest everything he was telling her. "What's this curse? And why wouldn't one of the Six rebel against him for touching one of their own? That's a big no-no."

He smirked, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face. "Do you think I'm the _only_ child your father bewitched? He was quite _proficient_ at doing so and covering his tracks." His eyes traced her lips. "Or have you not questioned the reactions of some of the men around you? Specifically in the Luthor Circle?"

Chloe's eyes widened in horror. "What are you saying?"

He reached out and traced his thumb against her bottom lip. "You would understand everything if you knew who you are."

"Then _tell_ me," she pressed, her lips brushing his skin as she spoke.

"Take this spell off of me," he insisted.

"_What_ has this spell done?" Chloe wasn't about to just do as he said. "I couldn't even _try to start _figuring out how to get rid of it if I don't even know _what_ is wrong with you!"

He leaned closer, taking in a whiff of her hair.

Chloe gulped, not sure if he was trying to intimidate her or just really liked the scent of her conditioner. "And anyway, how could his spell work on you if my Enthrall doesn't?"

"Because your Enthrallment is a Burden special to the Balcoins," he replied. "Each of the Six have a special Burden and it is only that special Burden that doesn't work on the other Six. Regular magic though..."

"What did he do to you?" Chloe asked once more, hands rising to his chest, pushing him far enough so she could look into his eyes. "_What did he do to you_?"

The nameless man stared down at her, all mockery gone, all amused vanished, as his lips straightened in a grim line. "You want to know what your father did to an innocent little kid who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and overheard his little pact with Lionel Luthor?" Something flashed in his eyes. "You want to know just _how far_ your father was willing to keep his dirty laundry secret?"

"Yes."

"You sure about that?" he pressed.

"_Yes_." Her greens narrowed.

"Well, since you _insist_." And with that he reached for her and yanked the girl to him before placing his hand on her forehead, everything going black as magic shot through her.

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Cassie had gone _insane_.

Faye whimpered as she held her side, sure that she had a broken rib, leaning hard against the wall.

On one hand, what the witch had told Cassie had given her the rage she'd needed to reactivate her dark magic and destroy those around her, but on the other hand, they now had a murderous Cassie Blake, Lil Dark Magic Princess on their hands. She was on a rampage, believed that Diana's dad had killed her mother and grandmother. The man was the catatonic, living prison of a bunch of badass demons and was unable to defend himself. He'd taken those demons into him to protect them all and none of the Circle could just let Cassie destroy him.

And now Cassie was Public Enemy Number One, trying to find where they'd hidden Charles, desperate to exact her revenge.

Also, the Circle weren't holding up so well against her.

Groaning, Faye reached for her cellular and began dialing a number she now knew by heart, bringing the phone to her ears. "Come on, pick up, pick _up_!"

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Lionel Luthor disappeared through the door.

That was Chloe's first image.

She was in a closet with a little boy, no older than four, who was peeking out at John Balcoin. Chloe frowned, peeking through the same slit in the closet the boy was, seeing John about to leave before pausing and turning towards the closet, almost as if sensing the boy's presence. He moved towards the closet rapidly before swinging the doors open, staring blankly at the child there.

Chloe took a step back, shocked to see her father so young.

"You're the Tentagel boy." John Balcoin sighed as he bent on his knees, staring at the boy. "Did you hear all of that?"

The boy nodded slowly.

"I see." John took in a deep breath before reaching out his hand. "Come on, let's go find your mama and papa."

The child reached out his hand and placed it in John's, whose pupils suddenly dilated and magic shot out of him into the child, agony rising in that little body as he tried to pull away and yet John's grip on his hand kept him there.

It was only when John let go that the little boy could race away, could escape, getting out of that room and finally making it to where his parents were, but no matter how much he cried, no matter how many times he tried getting their attention, they ignored him. Confusion and hurt and fear registered on his face before he finally tried to grab his mother's hand... only for his hand to go through hers.

That was when the child realized in terror that his parents weren't ignoring his plight; they couldn't hear or see him.

John entered the room, giving the child an apologetic look before leaving.

The child stood there in the middle of the room, eyes wide in terror, tears falling as he sprinted after the man, begging for him to undo whatever he'd done, but it was too late and John Balcoin was gone.

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Gasping, Chloe collapsed onto her knees, tears filling her eyes as she stared in front of her. "_No_."

There was silence before he sighed and bent to his knees in front of her. "You're the first person to actually _see_ me since your father."

Chloe raised her greens to him, silent tears falling. "How did you survive this long? How did you write the notes? I-I don't understand anything. How could I touch you if-"

"John's magic was the one who cursed me to what I later found out was called The Desolate Existence, and as such, only he could see or hear me because it was _his_ magic that'd cast the dark spell," he replied evenly. "It's not meant to kill; just punish someone to an almost ghost-like existence. Force them to live and yet never interact, to always be alone and unheard."

"What about the notes?" she asked softly.

He gave a little self-deprecating smile. "Some ghosts, if they're angry enough, desperate enough, can become poltergeists, can't they? And I've had _many_ years to try and learn to exert my presence in the world somewhat." He shook his head. "It's taken me ten years to learn how to write and carry a piece of paper. But it takes a long time for me to recuperate after it."

"That explains the periods between the notes," Chloe realized, wiping at her eyes. "What about now though?"

"You have your father's magic in you. It's why you see me now, hear me." He cleared his throat, taking in a deep breath. "If you remove this curse from me, I'll tell you what your father did to you."

Chloe stared up at his face, world shaken. "I don't know how to help you." She wiped at her eyes once more. "But I'll do my damnedest." Her phone rang, the blonde looking down as she pulled the cellular from her pocket, seeing Faye's name flashing on it. "I-" When she looked up, he was gone, vanished like a ghost. Gulping, Chloe took in a deep breath before answering the call. "Yeah?"

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**TBC**


	57. Turmoil and Distress

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"Driving 500 miles a day would mean that Jake would arrive here in three days, but I'm sure he's going to try and up that because they're not sure they can keep Cassie from realizing that Charles isn't in Chance Harbor anymore," Chloe declared, pacing the floor, relaying Faye's message to her Circle and parents in her living room later on that day. She'd even called in Mikhail and Lucas because they were a Balcoin and a Luthor, and supposedly wanted to become a part of her Circle, so she figured this would be a better test of that than anything she could ever have thought up. "She's smart. She's going to realize soon and be on their trail, which means we won't have that much time to figure things out once Jake and Charles have arrived here. We'll have to have some sort of action plan already in place."

Diana was silent, staring out of the window, hugging herself tightly, pale as ice.

Chloe frowned at her before shaking her head and turning to Whitney. "We need to think of some sort of game plan."

"Well, obviously we need a place where we can hide Charles, a place she wouldn't know of." Whitney made a face.

"What about the Bleeding Caves?" Greg wanted to know, leaning against the wall.

"The what?" Lucas made a face.

"She's been there once, in a dream we shared." Chloe frowned. "But it's still as good a place as any."

"Wait, you shared dreams with her?" Mikhail picked up on that part, eyes narrowed.

"And with Diana, before we met." Chloe nodded.

"Then why not with me?" Mikhail wanted to know a good question.

Chloe took in a deep breath. "Well, to be honest, I haven't had a shared dream with _any_ of my brothers."

"I think it's during times of our deepest sorrows that she shared our dreams." Diana continued to gaze out of the window. "Cassie saw her in nightmares where she relived her mother's death. I was trying to come to terms with everything after John's death when I saw Chloe. It was after our dark magics were activated that we started seeing her."

"Your magics reached out to her unconsciously," Gabe declared from where he sat. "She's the eldest sibling, it is her duty to be there for you when you need her and it's your right to rely on her."

"So what, us boys have never felt that we _needed_ someone's help that badly?" Mikhail made a face, obviously thinking it was pure bullshit.

"Not sure," Gabe admitted. "When John died, he took so many secrets with him."

Chloe cleared her throat, not even wanting to _think_ about John after what she'd learnt earlier on about what lengths he was willing to go to. "We're off topic."

"She's right," Moira agreed, sipping a glass of tea – which was really odd because Chloe had never seen her drinking tea before. Then again, there was a lot about her mother that she didn't know and probably never would. "What's important now is to figure out why Cassie would believe that Diana's adoptive father would kill her mother and-"

"Because he did," Diana whispered, all gazes turning to her in shock, the brunette gulping and finally turning her tear-filled dark eyes to them. "I only found out right before the end, before he took the demons in him to save us, and I left. I – I couldn't believe that he – he was such a wonderful father and I _know_ he loved me." Tears began falling down her face. "But I couldn't believe that he was capable of such a thing! _Why_ would he kill Cassie's mom? I can't think of a good reason! And I _wanted_ to tell Cassie, but I still _love_ my father and I don't want her killing him. Especially not when he's so vulnerable now."

Chloe sighed, going to her sister and wrapping her in her arms, holding her tight as Diana clung to her, crying.

Silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry, Diana," Greg sighed. "But if he _really did_ kill her mother and grandmother, then I don't think it's fair to stop her."

"I don't know about Jane, I never heard anything about that." Diana shook her head, holding tighter to Chloe.

"But you know he _did_ kill her _mom_." Greg cleared his throat. "And if I knew exactly who'd killed _my_ father, I _know_ I'd be doing exactly what she's doing."

"Sometimes you don't have that right." Mikhail surprised Chloe by speaking up, voice dull. "Sometimes _you know_ who killed your father, they're in the same room with you, and you just have to hold back and move forwards."

Diana flinched, knowing he was talking about her.

Chloe held on tighter, feeling like Diana was about to break apart.

"Killing for vengeance's sake; it will create a darkness in you that you will _never_ be able to heal from," Gabe declared, bringing everyone's gazes to him. "Everyone in this room knows what it means to have suffered, to have lost something – someone – who was important to them." His gaze swept over the teens, who nodded slowly. "You might feel shattered or _not whole_, but it's made you stronger. You understand the necessity of family where you can find it, of being together, of strength in numbers. Every single one of you has lost someone and it's brought you here."

Chloe gulped, staring at her father, her only true father.

"The Balcoins' strength was always their dark magic, but it was always their _greatest_ weakness as well," Gabe informed them gravely. "It always gave them unparalleled strength, but it was also the reason they were nearly destroyed, why they were _able_ to be nearly destroyed. Because that darkness, if not held in check, could cloud your mind, your reasoning, could taint your every impulse. You don't see reason, you don't understand the concept of compassion or forgiveness; all that exists is the darkness and the need for more power. For revenge. For hatred. For blood. Dominion." His gaze leveled Chloe. "In the end you'll be just like Charles Meade; catatonic, unable to do anything of your own will because of the demons wiggling beneath your skin."

She held on tighter to Diana, unable to look away from his gaze, a cold chill running down her spine.

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"Look me in the eyes and tell me you had nothing to do with this," Faye whispered, staring into her mother's ashen face. She'd known that her mother had been supposedly dating Mr Meade, but if anything they'd been conspiring together. Now though, finding out about Mr Meade and seeing her mother's reaction when Faye had broken the news to her, caused a seed of dark doubt and suspicion to take root in the girl's chest. "_Tell_ me, mom. _Swear_ by my birth that you didn't know Mr Meade killed Cassie's mother and grandmother! Swear that you had no part in it!"

Tears filled in her mother's eyes, but she couldn't deny it.

Faye shook her head, backing away from her mother, tears filling her own eyes. "_No_."

"It wasn't – we'd just wanted our magic back," Dawn Chamberlain tried to explain, stepping closer to her daughter. "To get it back we needed Cassie in Chance Harbor, we needed her to be a part of your Circle! We – we _knew_ that Amelia would never bring Cassie here of her own free will."

"_So you killed her_?" Faye's voice broke with emotion as she continued to back away.

"I didn't – Charles did."

"But you _knew_ what he was going to do, you were _in league_ with him!" Faye slapped at her mother's hand when she tried to touch her. "She was your Circle mate, mom! How _could_ you guys?"

"Our magic had been taken away – we just wanted back what was ours," Dawn pleaded.

"And her life was _worth_ it? Jane's life was?"

"Jane wasn't supposed to die – Charles had tried using a Witch Cruid against John, but John had switched his with Jane's and when Charles threw the match inside, it killed her," Dawn whispered.

"I can't believe I'm hearing all this," Faye whispered back, her whole body in shock. "How could you do something like this?" Faye tried to breath, tried to keep from hyperventilating. "I get about wanting more power, okay? I tried stealing Cassie's magic for crying out loud! But when I realized that the spell was hurting others, I stopped it because magic isn't worth more than _anyone's life."_

"Honey-."

"_No!_" Faye backed away. "Leave my room! Go! _Now_!"

Dawn cried as she turned and left the room.

Faye stared around her, disoriented with the feelings racing through her before the brunette collapsed to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried.

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"Why are we protecting him?" Mikhail asked when they were alone in the kitchen, the blonde washing up dishes as he just stood idly watching her. "Because he raised Diana?"

"Because if Cassie kills him, she and Diana _will never_ be able to get over that," Chloe responded, gaze on the dishes in the sink. "Everything that I do now has to be in the best interest of the Balcoin family, and those two hating each other will only bring us more destruction and pain."

He continued to eye her, not sure what he thought about his oldest sibling. When he'd thought about the Firstborn, wondered what he or she would be like, he'd imagined someone more like his father. Not only in the power department but character wise as well. Mikhail had never felt the urge to try to live up to his father's standards, to be like John, because he'd been sure that the Firstborn would be all that and more.

And yet the girl in front of him wasn't like their father at all. Had she been more like John Balcoin, she'd have let Cassie kill Charles and then made Diana understand that it was the fairest judgment that could have been passed. He'd have somehow manipulated things so that in the end, people saw things his way. He'd always done that.

This girl though, Mikhail couldn't understand her logic or way of thinking. This wasn't about her but it was affecting her greatly, she was _empathetic_.

"Everyone's in so much pain right now, I can understand why they're acting the way they are." Chloe continued to look at the dishes as she washed and rinsed them off, putting them away to dry. "It's almost like Balcoins are cursed to keep hurting each other." She finally put down the dishes and turned to look at Mikhail, her eyes surprising red. "Don't think I don't know how you feel either, that I don't know that you want revenge for your father's death."

"Our father," he whispered.

Chloe took in a deep breath. "I understand why you'd want that, it's natural. Everyone in there knew you were talking about Diana and Cassie and what they did to John. Don't think I don't appreciate how you're handling things or how hard this must be for you."

Mikhail wasn't one to speak about feelings, growing immensely uncomfortable as he looked away from her.

"We don't know each other, we're not family except for blood, we don't have the bond or ties that makes _true_ family." She pushed away from the sink, making her way towards him until she was right in front of him. "We're practically strangers."

He licked his lips.

"I have another brother," she whispered. "I love him dearly. I have for _many_ years." She hesitated before reaching out and grabbing Mikhail's hand with her damp one, shocking him into turning to look at her once more as he could feel his magic reacting within him at the touch. "I'd like to love you too."

Mikhail just stared down at the tiny girl, eyes wide and shocked out of his wits. He didn't know what was affecting him more; her words, the sincerity in her eyes, or the way her magic connected with his and he could _sense_ as it tried soothing the silent pain inside of him. "Balcoins…" He cleared his throat, unnerved at the coaxing, soothing magic which made the resentful anger that'd been accumulating within him towards Cassie and Diana begin to slowly disintegrate. "We're not a loving bunch."

"That needs to change." She tightened her grip on his hand.

He gulped, his eyes stinging for some reason and he blinked, looking away, not saying anything, but found himself reciprocating the grip on Chloe's – on his _sister's_ – hand.

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"So you agree then."

Gabe turned to raise an eyebrow at Moira. "On what?"

"That the Balcoin dark magic is something that she doesn't need," Moira pressed, having taken advantage of the fact that Diana was upstairs resting in her room, Chloe and Mikhail were in the kitchen, and Lucas, Whitney and Greg were out on an errand. "Cassie wouldn't be half the threat she is if she didn't have it in her."

"Chloe has much more magic in her than Cassie does. It will be fine." Gabe was sure of that. "She'll find a way out of this."

"You don't get it, Gabe. You said it yourself; dark magic is strong, yes, but it's all consuming and Chloe has more of it than anyone else has _ever_ had." Moira reached out and grabbed Gabe. "Francis Balcoin was the first witch to _ever_ have dark magic and you _know_ the rumors that have circulated as to _how_ it came about. If they're true, the fact that she has so much in her – and his magic! The source magic of _all_ Balcoin black magic. _Gabe_. You _must_ realize how dangerous this is!"

"She's strong enough to handle this, Moira."

"Don't you find it all too convenient, the timing of all of this?" Moira hissed, coming closer. "You _know _what's happening in three days."

"I'm surprised _you_ know." He sneered.

"Low blow, Gabe." Moira shook her head, pulling away. "_Low_ blow." With that, she turned and stormed to the guest room she was staying in, slamming the door shut behind her.

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"I'm surprised that Lex Luthor didn't try anything with Lucas and me," Mikhail declared, pulling away from Chloe and going to the kitchen, highly uncomfortable and confused. "We were a part of a group who kidnapped and tortured his sister and her boyfriend. I'm surprised he didn't seem to want any sort of revenge. Or is that his way of trying to wait until our guard is down?"

"I made a deal with Lex; he's not going to touch most of you." Chloe's words stunned him. "And I say 'most' because Patricia and her father – there was nothing I could ever promise to do for him that would make him not get back at them." She sighed. "The rest of you though? You're all under my protection now. Whatever that's worth."

Mikhail stared blankly in front of him into the fridge. "Why would you do that?" He slammed the door closed and turned to look at her in utter confusion. "We're family, yes, but for all you know, I could be secretly planning something against you! Why would you put yourself in a position of indebtedness to that family for us?"

She merely stared at him. "I just did."

"But that's _stupid_!" Mikhail ran shaking fingers through his chin-length, straight brown hair. "I could be planning to kill you! I could want you dead! I-!"

"_Are_ you?" Her voice was tranquil.

He looked up at her, his unease from before growing, but masked by his confusion. "_No_."

"I'm glad to hear that." She gave him a half smile.

Mikhail just stared at his older sister, unable to understand her. She held such power, she was supposedly the Great Winged Serpent that'd been prophesied to bring the Balcoins out of the depths they'd sunk. He'd thought his father was the Balcoin savior and after his death, Mikhail'd expected her to be the female image of John. And yet… and yet… He couldn't understand her or her reasoning or why she'd do something like that for him. Not when he hadn't even proven that he was worth the effort. With John, he'd had to spend his whole childhood proving himself, proving that he was useful in his own way, and even then he'd known that John had always found him inferior. He'd disappointed his father so many times, in the end he'd stopped caring – or had learned to act that way at least.

"I – I'm going to help the guys." And with that he turned and slipped out of the house through the back door, knowing he was running and not sure from what.

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Jason didn't know exactly how to approach this whole Chloe thing now that he knew that his best friend had had a thing for her before he did. If he'd known about Davis' attachment prior to everything, things would have been different and Jason wouldn't have allowed things to progress the way that they had… but they _had_. He was staying away though, out of respect for Davis, at least for now. Anyway, he had the team to keep him preoccupied and Chloe seemed to be busy as well, so that made things easier he supposed.

Still…

Jason lay on his bed, staring at his phone, before letting it drop to his side as he sat up at the knock on his door. "Come in."

Lex opened the door and strolled in, eyeing the room. "I didn't realize you lived in a pigsty."

"We're not _all_ OCD," Jason smart mouthed.

"It's called _cleanly_, not OCD," Lex assured him, eyeing the room in displeasure before shaking his head and turning his blues on Jason. "Father has just called to inform me that he'll be arriving in Smallville in three days' time."

Jason stood immediately. "He's making a play for Chloe."

"It would seem so, and he's not hiding his motives or the fact that he knows that I know who the Firstborn is and _where_ she is," Lex agreed, a pensive expression on his face. "Obviously he has something planned and we are, as always, in the dark."

"Well, look at the bright side," Jason tried to a joke, "things can't get any worse."

"Your parents are joining him on this little trip." Lex raised an eyebrow. "Everyone's parents."

Jason's eyes widened in horror at the thought of his parents, especially his mother, here in Smallville. "Fuck me."

"No thank you." Lex snorted, looking around the room, still obviously displeased with the state it was in as he toed a discarded piece of clothing with the toe of his designer shoes.

"Well, it can't get any worse than _that_." Jason was sure of it.

"Marx called Davis the night Davis was Enthralled and said it had something to do with John Balcoin." Lex raised an eyebrow. "When Davis returned and was Enthralled, he'd come from the meeting with Marx and for obvious reasons didn't get to tell me about his meeting until much later."

"Why would Marx contact Davis about John Balcoin?" Jason frowned. "Does this have to do with the package Chloe took from him that night at Crouch End?"

"Not exactly. It would seem our little friend realized that we were the ones who helped her escape him that night." Lex made a face. "And he used John's name as bait to try and get Davis to tell him where she was. According to Davis Marx seemed much more interested in finding Chloe than in recovering whatever it was that she took form his vault that night. Of course, Davis figured it might be a trap and outsmarted the little man, but Marx is nothing if not persistent and his men have been spotted in Smallville today."

"_What_?" Jason's eyes widened.

"Of course, they don't know her name or what she looks like, so Chloe should be safe for now at least." Lex made a face at a plate with a half eaten sandwich on the ground.

"I'll deal with it," Jason promised.

"I've already handled the situation, they've been… distracted. But Marx will get them back on the right track soon enough." Lex went to a window and opened it. "Proper ventilation is our friend, Jason. Renewal of air is a _good_ thing."

Jason ignored him. "Is this all of the bad news?"

"Of course not, when has our life ever been that easy?" Lex sneered. "It would seem that there is no trace of either Swan in the country, but there are fifty different tickets that have been found in their names going to fifty different destinations worldwide. It would seem that, for now at least, they've managed to slip through our fingers."

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She'd received the message from the boys that they'd managed to get part of it done and had parted ways with Mikhail and Lucas, everyone having gone back home. Chloe had sent a mass text message to all, thanking them, before bathing, changing into her night clothes, and then going into her sister's bedroom.

Diana sat by the window in her nightdress, staring out of the window.

Chloe made her way to Diana's bed and sat down on it. "It's going to work out somehow, I promise, Diana."

"He's done such evil things. Sometimes I think Greg is right, that I should just let Cassie kill him." Diana closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the window. "But he raised me and he loved me and I couldn't have ever asked for a better father."

Chloe stared at her younger sister before getting up and going to sit next to her on the bay window.

Diana wordlessly moved to lay with her head on Chloe's lap, curled up like a child drawing comfort from her mother.

Chloe wasn't good at mothering, had never really seen it in action herself except when it'd come to Mrs Kent with Clark, but her little sister needed her and she was going to be there for her. The blonde leaned hard against the back rest and ran her fingers softly through Diana's long, dark tresses, her gaze out of the window.

Diana's began crying.

Chloe just closed her eyes and continued to comfort her sister the only way she could.

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Walking always helped clear her mind, Moira hugging herself as she breathed in the night air. Things were quickly slipping through her fingers and she wasn't exactly sure what was right or wrong anymore. She was confused, conflicted, and knew that she was going to have to talk to Chloe soon. The day was coming way too quickly and she knew that she owed it to the blonde to tell her the truth before it was too late. And yet, every time she tried to get the courage something would happen and Moira would back down. At first, she'd wanted to grow closer to the girl before she told her, but it was obvious that that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Not soon enough at least.

Taking in a deep breath, Moira realized she couldn't keep stalling. She needed to go back home and talk to her daughter.

That was when something came down hard against the back of her head and all went black.

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**TBC**


	58. Set In Motion

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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It was hard to spend the next day as if nothing had happened the day before, but everyone did their best. Diana's piece wasn't ready, of course, given that it was investigative journalism and she'd only been able to start her investigation yesterday while everyone was either gone or doing other after-school activities. Other than that though, Chloe had the others' work and she did what she could to polish the articles before printing off the first edition of the newly coined Luthor Torch. She'd come in early to have it ready on time, leaving Diana to be picked up by Greg (Whitney had to be in early as well for extra practice since tonight was the game against Jefferson.)

Smiling as she began reading through the first printed newspaper, Chloe had to admit that she was in love with the new machines Lex had had installed for her. They weren't industrial printing equipment but a great modern substitute; compact, efficient and fast. She turned her back on the printing press and browsed through the First Edition Volume 1 of the Luthor Torch. There wasn't much to put on given everything, but she'd managed to find enough fillers so that it didn't look bare. Plus, she'd printed every single decent picture of Jason and the boys at practice for Van's piece because they took up a lot of what would have been empty space, and because she knew that the footballers _and_ the girls would appreciate it tremendously.

Mikhail's piece "Mikhail Knows All" was aptly timed, given that the game was tonight, and as Chloe eyed the predictions of the Crow's win by a landslide victory, well, she knew that people were going to love the "school pride" but what would happen if his prediction totally fell through? Still, he seemed quite assured of his prediction so she was going to leave him to it.

The blonde made sure the editions were sent out for distribution before beginning to turn off the computers so she could head to the first class of the day before the bell rung.

Her phone rang, the blonde pulling the cellular out and looking at the Caller ID, her stomach queasy as she answered. "Why do I feel like you have more bad news to tell me?"

"Cassie's not in Chance Harbor anymore," Faye confirmed. "We think she realized, when Jake didn't go home last night, that he was the one who had Mr Meade and that if he had Mr Meade on the road that there was only one place they'd think of going."

"Here." Chloe took in a deep breath, running her hand over her hair. "Any idea when that light bulb lit for her?"

"We had a watch on her and there was a little problem during Adam and Melissa's shift, so we're thinking she slipped out during then," Faye replied. "Around one in the morning."

"Jake and Charles have a good head start." That was a good thing. "Thanks for letting us know, we'll prepare accordingly."

"Not just that. Melissa, Adam and I are heading in your direction as well," Faye replied, and only then did Chloe realize she could hear the sound of an engine in the background. "See you when we see you."

"Okay." Chloe nodded, hanging up, tapping the phone to her lips.

"Issues?" a voice asked.

Gasping, Chloe turned towards the man, her heart in her throat. "Don't do that to me!"

"So there _are_ issues," the nameless Tentagel announced, eyeing her.

"Family issues." She took in a deep breath. "I won't be able to even look at your issue until it's over. Hopefully it'll only be a few days but this is a matter that requires all my attention right now."

He eyed her before nodding, folding his arms over his chest. "I've waited all these years, I can wait a couple of days more." He gave a little smirk. "At least I have someone who can see and speak to me now."

Chloe eyed him curiously before clearing her throat. "So, you haven't given me a name yet. I can't keep thinking of you as the Invisible/Nameless Tentagel."

An odd expression covered his features as he eyed her. "I – I haven't said it in a while." He cleared his throat, straightening. "Adam, my name's Adam Knight. There's a lot I don't remember since I was so young when – when it happened – but I made sure I remembered my name."

So Knight was the name the Tentagels had chosen to hide their identities.

Chloe's heart went out to Adam Knight, the blonde sighed as she reached out her hand towards him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adam Knight, I'm Chloe Sullivan."

He gazed at her hand. "I haven't heard it in so long…" The brunet placed his hand in Chloe's, giving a little chuckle at the ability to feel her, as their grip on the other tightened and they shook hands.

The door opened and Diana entered, pausing as she looked at Chloe. "What are you doing?"

Chloe blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"Uh, it looks as if you're shaking hands with air." Diana blinked in confusion as well. "Are you alright?"

Chloe's gaze went to Adam, seeing the sadness in his eyes as he pulled his hand away from hers, the blonde's voice soft when she spoke. "I'm fine."

"I'll, I should go." And with that Adam disappeared.

Chloe sighed, not having wanted him to go, not like that.

Diana's hand came down on her shoulder. "Chloe?"

The blonde turned a small smile on her younger sister as the first bell of the morning rung. "Let's get to class."

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Gabe wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do now that he'd been fired. The house that he was living in belonged to Luthorcorp, for the managers of the fertilizer company, so it meant that he obviously only had until they could find a new manager to move out. He knew that it wouldn't take too long for Lionel to appoint someone else and that was why he was spending the day on the computer at home looking at places he could afford. None of the houses were as nice as the one they now lived in, and a part of him felt like a failure for being unable to provide better for his daughter, but it was the best he could accomplish on the little amount of money he'd managed to save all these years.

And where was Moira? He hadn't seen her all day; had been hoping to talk to her about the situation, but as always she was out doing her own thing.

Shaking his head, Gabe pulled up a nice enough three bedroom two bathroom in Grandsville.

The man sighed, staring at the house.

Grandsville.

Maybe, maybe this was a good thing.

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Diana was glad for this article, which let her fill up every single moment while not in a class. She'd started combing through the girls' changing room, going through the locker area first and since she hadn't found any sort of hole or any real reason for the sounds the girls reported, Diana progressed to the showers. She twisted her lips in thought, wondering if maybe the piping was sometimes making sounds, that could be a credible theory, and yet so far, as she turned on one after the other, none of the showers made any sort of ghostlike sounds. No moaning at all. So that totally blew her theory of bad piping, which had been a bit of a stretch considering Lex Luthor's money had paid for this school's rebuilding.

Hearing hissed voices, Diana ducked into one of the shower stalls and pulled the curtain across, listening silently as the voices drew nearer.

"See? I _told_ you no one was around!" a guy's voice declared, two pairs of footsteps approaching. "We should have some really great footage this time!"

"That's what you said _last_ time," another voice grumbled. "You keep fucking it up every time."

"I do not!" the first voice was grunting.

Diana peeked out through the curtain to see two boys, one of them climbing up the towel rack and pulling down something that'd been hidden at the top of it. He then jumped down and grinned. "Now, let's see what this beauty caught!"

The boys huddled together, rewinding the small camera before watching the video feed...

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Not again!"

"WHY does it keep getting tilted onto an angle that leaves no visibility of the hot naked bodies?"

"Dumb shit equipment!"

"Obviously something is wrong with this. We need to take it to Brent for him to get us something better before we bring it back."

And with that, the guys grumbled as they walked away, carrying the spy cam with them.

Slipping out of the shower stall once they were gone, Diana anchored her hands on her hips, an idea brewing.

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Jason felt like some sort of celebrity. Too many girls had come up to him to ask him to sign his picture in the Luthor Torch. Even now, after school as they readied for the game against Jefferson, Jason had had to shoo some of the cheerleaders away and remind them that it was a big night for the girls as well and that they should be ready to "dazzle" everyone. The girls had skipped out giggling and thankfully, he'd been able to have a couple of minutes to himself before having to go talk to the guys.

Sitting in his office, Jason flipped slowly through the first edition of the Luthor Torch, stopping on the Editor's Page, eyeing the picture of Chloe in hipster glasses (who she'd borrowed those from was a mystery considering she didn't use glasses) and a mischievous smile as she pointed accusingly off to the side, obviously laughing at somebody who was not in the picture. Underneath the picture, Chloe talked about the disaster of the burning down of Smallville High, compared the building of the new high school to the rebirth of the phoenix from its ashes, and then there were pictures of her new staff members with small blurbs underneath about them.

Van was the next picture, citing him as being the only full-fledged member from the old Torch to transition into the new one, as many had transferred to other schools or had just decided not to continue their duties. His picture was of him balancing a pencil on his nose while grinning at the camera. His blurb declared him to have been upgraded from photographer to being in charge of the sports life of Luthor Academy, something Jason knew considering it had been Van who'd interviewed him and taken the pictures of both Jason and the boys at practice.

The next picture featured Diana, open mouthed, eyes wide in shock and amusement. The girl was obviously about to break out laughing as she stared at someone, a tip of a finger proving that this was the person Chloe had been pointing to in her picture. Diana's blurb cited her as the Editor's sister, new to the whole writing business, but definitely interested in "getting into the thick of it" as she was now in charge of investigating student concerns.

Mikhail Blackwell's picture was next, the dark haired boy totally ignoring the camera as he listened to music, earplugs in his ears. His blurb declared that he was the Editor's brother (something which Jason knew would cause a big stir considering from what he'd heard, no one had realized the blood connection between Mikhail and Chloe) and that he had a degree (from the University of Life And Experience) in Chance and Probabilities, which was why he'd started off the "Mikhail Knows All" column, the first of which was debuting in this edition and which promised a huge victory for the Crows against their enemies.

Last, but not least, Lucas Dunleavy covered his eyes in his picture, obviously half groaning and half laughing, finding something funny yet embarrassing. The blurb under his picture said that Lucas Dunleavy had been forced into participating in the Luthor Torch by Mikhail Blackwell, and that he was going to have to find a way to survive it by using any excuse possible to chat up and take pictures (and the phone numbers) of the hottest girls in Luthor Academy.

The last picture on the page was a picture of the group grinning as they stood together. Chloe was in the middle (now sans the hipster glasses), on one side of her was Van and Diana, and on the other were Lucas and Mikhail.

Jason smiled, shaking his head before he put the paper down and went to ready the boys for the game.

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Hearing the cheers, Chloe looked up from the Luthor Torch, realizing that the game must have started. The blonde was alone in the office, slowly working on the next edition, calmed by the routine she'd missed so much when the high school had burnt down. Considering Whitney was playing and Van covering the game, they were both on the field, Mikhail declared that he would be watching as well, the boy sharing a mischievous look with Lucas that she'd decided to not even think about because it seemed like Mikhail had something underhanded planned and she did _not_ want to know about it. She had enough to worry about without having to keep an eye on her younger brother's actions. Talking about younger siblings, Diana had arrived after school, asked to borrow some equipment citing a break in her case, and then was gone to set up whatever it was she was doing. Greg, only the gods knew where Greg was. So Chloe was completely alone.

It was a novel experience for her given the fact that she usually always had someone with her or close by, so she enjoyed the silence as she worked.

A sound caught her attention, the girl pausing as she looked up, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what the sound was and where it came from. She stood, tilting her head towards the sound, trying to identify it. "Is someone there?" It sounded, it sounded a lot like someone was _crying_.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe stood and slipped out of the Torch's office, following the sound through the bends and turns. It was only when she found herself at the entrance to the boiler room that she hesitated, but the sound was definitely coming from inside of there, and it was definitely the sound of crying. She wanted to turn away, wanted to go and try and find someone else to come down with her, and yet there was something drawing Chloe forwards. With a push of her hand, the door opened revealing stairs leading down into darkness.

A search proved there was no light switch that she could find and that the sounds were definitely sobs.

"_Hello_?" she called. "Is anyone down there?"

There was silence as the sobs stopped, and then a voice she didn't recognize called up. "Who is that?"

Eyes widening, realizing that someone _was_ down there, Chloe hurried down the stairs, holding onto the railing to keep her from falling, descending into the darkness which consumed her all around. "Are you okay? Where's the light?"

"I – I don't know. It's always dark here."

Chloe narrowed her eyes, holding her hands out in front of her as she tried making her way through the darkness towards the male voice. "What do you mean _always_? How long have you been in here?"

"I don't know," he whispered. "What year is it?"

That shocked Chloe stiff, the blonde's foot hitting something and she fell on top of someone. "I'm so sorry!"

"You're not one of them," he whispered, almost as if to himself. "They never come close enough for me to touch them."

Unable to stop herself, Chloe raised her hand palms up, the orb of light appearing and shining light into what could only be a dungeon.

The guy hissed, pulling away, raising his shackled hands to his eyes, almost as if unaccustomed to the light.

Chloe's eyes widened in horror as she stared at the guy whose hands and feet were shackled to the wall, the shackles emitting a magic so powerful, she could _see_ it. "Who did this to you?"

Slowly he removed his hand from his eyes, which were obviously still trying to get accustomed to the light. "I don't know."

"_Why_ did they do this to you?"

"I _don't know_."

She tried for a question she knew he'd have an answer to. "What's your name?"

"Byron," he replied softly, head tilted away from the light. "Byron Moore."

"I'm Chloe, Chloe Sullivan." She gave him a weak smile. "I'm going to find a way to get you out of here, Byron." She reached for his chains and flinched at the burning feeling, letting go. "Why would witches go to this degree to keep you hidden?"

"You know?" he whispered. "About witches? About magic?"

Her eyes widened as they fell on him. "You're a witch."

He nodded slowly. "My mother – she didn't make it."

"Have you always lived in Smallville?" Chloe asked, not recognizing him.

"Smallville?" He made a face at her. "I've never even heard of that before. Where is it? I didn't think we'd moved that much."

Suddenly, the room around them flickered.

Byron frowned, looking around him. "What's going on?"

Chloe froze, staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "This is a dream."

He turned his gaze to her, questioningly. "What?"

The blonde stared at him, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Byron, who's your father?"

"I never met him. Mom said he was no good." Byron looked confused. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

Chloe closed her eyes, lips parting.

Brown eyes. Straight, dark brown hair.

Her eyes opened as she stared at him. "_You're my brother_."

And with that she awoke, gasping as she sat up straight in her chair in the Luthor Torch, her heart racing, tears falling from her eyes.

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Diana kept watch from her hidden place, holding the video camera and watching as Brent Greene followed by his two minions reappeared with their video camera, filming them as the boys talked amongst themselves about how their previous attempts to get footage of the girls naked had been utter failures. She made sure the volume was on the highest level so she could get every word they were saying, grinning as with each word, they incriminated themselves a little more. But there was one part of their conversation that left her a little confused.

"This damned thing better work," the shorter guy grumbled as the other nameless dude climbed up and secured the hidden camera as well. "How else are we supposed to figure out which girl we are going to choose if we can't see the whole package we're getting?"

"Yeah," the other declared, jumping off now that he'd secured the camera. "At least with Dawn Stiles, Brent _knew_ he was gonna get a gem. Since the other girls are of a lesser caliber, we've got to make sure they aren't just pretty faces."

Brent rolled his eyes. "You two are so ugly, it's surprising you want to be this picky, but if business is going to work, I'm going to have to use you two as publicity." And with that he left.

"Too bad Lana Lang isn't around," the shorter one declared. "I'd scoop her up in an instant! No questions asked." He made a face. "How things are going, I think I'll have to settle for that new girl, Diana. You know, Chloe Sullivan's sister. She's not all that like Lana, doesn't have the pretty green eyes, but she'll do."

Diana narrowed her (very pretty, thank you very much!) brown eyes at the guy for that comment.

"Yeah, well, I'll take my time choosing my girl!" the taller one announced as they walked out of the room, turning off the light.

Diana smirked, clothed in darkness, as she ended the recording.

If she hurried, she was sure they could have everything ready for the front page of tomorrow's edition of the Luthor Torch.

Smile quite evil, Diana finally realized exactly why Chloe loved this.

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Moira stumbled forwards, head killing her and body weak. She pushed forwards, the house in the distance, backlit by the moon.

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**TBC**


	59. Countdown to Heartbreak

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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**HIGH SCHOOL TRIO OF PERVERTS CAUGHT ATTEMPTING TO FILM GIRLS NAKED IN THE SCHOOL SHOWERS.**

Chloe had to admit it, she was proud as _hell_ of Diana. The cover story of that day's Luthor Torch had the blonde having to print extra since more and more people were asking for copies and they'd run out. Not only had Diana gotten the video, but she'd had Van help her capture images from the video to place in the story itself, and they'd uploaded the video onto the Luthor Torch website to collaborate with the story being run. Already Diana was being surrounded and praised by the girls of the school, receiving annoyed looks from the boys, and a threat of vengeance from the three boys who'd been pulled into Principle Kwan's office first thing and suspended for their acts. Diana was taking everything in stride with a little smile, and thankfully seemed to have her mind off of the whole Charles and Cassie situation, even if only for a day.

Another huge shocker was the fact that Mikhail had _accurately_ predicted the result of the game versus Jefferson and _that_ had caused such an uproar that tons of letters from their readers (and comments left for him on the Luthor Torch website) proved that his was going to be a very popular column in the future. Already tons of the students were asking him to predict this or that, and the boy would have a lot to go through and choose from if he so desired to. His predictions were also making his astrological blurbs popular as well, people taking them more seriously than they would have otherwise because, as she'd been hearing people whispering in chuckles and giggles to each other, Mikhail Knows All!

Chloe was glad for the madness; for having to print more and more copies because the edition was so scandalous. It was incredibly popular and everyone wanted to make sure they had a copy. The blonde kept herself busy making sure the extra copies were evenly distributed, relieved for the chaos because it was a bit of a distraction for her as well. She had so much on her desk, on her mind. There was Byron, her brother, who might be chained somewhere in someone's dungeons and needed her help. There was Adam Knight, who'd been cursed by her father and was yet more proof at how she was so lucky to have been raised by Gabe instead. And then there was Cassie and her murderous intent.

There was so much on Chloe's plate, she was sorely tempted to slip back into a fantasy and just escape, but she'd learned from her last stint into escapism and it'd taught Chloe something. This was her life, like it or not. She couldn't keep trying to find a way out, escaping it; this was it. She was just going to have to get used to it, get over herself, and figure out what her next steps would be.

Of course, the Cassie situation came first, whether she wanted it to or not, and Chloe might be putting up a brave face for the others but she was worried as hell about this ever nearer confrontation. Things between her and Cassie had never been great and she knew this wasn't going to make things any better between them. Chloe figured by the time this was over, she could kiss goodbye any chance of her and Cassie somehow coming to terms with each other. And damn it, that sucked balls! But it was just how things had to be because she couldn't let the blonde kill Mr Meade, no matter what he'd done. She had to save the relationship between Cassie and Diana. She had to save Cassie from the darkness inside of her.

Phone buzzing, Chloe answered the call, going to the window. "Yeah?"

"So, Jake's pushing hard to get there a bit earlier," Faye announced in her ear. "He hasn't slept and has been driving straight. The idiot." She sighed. "He said he'll be there around three in the morning tomorrow. But he'll be useless to you considering he'll probably collapse of fatigue."

"Thanks, we'll be waiting for him." Hanging up, Chloe tapped her phone to her cheek before turning and closing her eyes tightly. "_You keep doing that_!"

Adam Knight blinked in surprise. "I keep forgetting that you're able to see me more and more now."

"What do you _mean_ more and more?" Chloe opened her eyes only to narrow them suspiciously at him. "Are you telling me that there are times that you're around and I don't see you?"

Adam cleared his throat, gaze darting away.

Chloe's eyes widened. "How long have you been around me?"

He scratched at him chin, clearly uncomfortable. "I've been your father's shadow since I was a child; he was the only one who could see or hear me, even though he ignored me as if I wasn't there anyway." He took in a deep breath. "I stopped shadowing him when he came to Smallville."

Chloe stared up at the uncomfortable looking guy, eyes widening further, realizing just _how long_ he'd been around her. "Ever since then?"

He nodded slowly.

"_Why_?" She blinked, confused, running her hand over her face. "Why stay with me if I couldn't see you?"

He cleared his throat, gaze falling on the newest edition of the Torch. "Ah! I see they've been caught. Good. It took a lot out of me to actually tilt that damned camera away from the shower stalls."

Chloe blinked once more, even more shocked. "_You're_ the reason they were unable to get any sort of decent footage?"

"Not that it would have been _decent_." Adam made a face, still avoiding her gaze. "I've never – I've been tempted to – but I haven't – I've never looked."

She suddenly got what he was saying and felt a blush rising up her neck. "Um, thank you, for that."

"No problem." He ran his hand over his head, clearly embarrassed.

She rubbed her neck, the small scars there throbbing slightly, had been since yesterday but were growing worse.

His blues turned on her and narrowed slightly. "Are the fang marks hurting?"

"You know about that?" Why was she surprised? Supposedly he'd been hanging around her for a while now! He must have heard about the situation during the many times it'd been discussed (especially between her parents, her father still unable to forgive Moira for that incident).

"I, uh, I was there that night." Adam cleared his throat. "I helped pull her off of you... really weakened me though; took me _weeks_ to get back to normal."

Chloe's eyes widened even further, basically bugging out, as she stared at him, her blush growing darker. "You were in my bedroom at that time of the night?"

"I, uh, I, it was, I never." He groaned, blushing hard as he brought his hand to his face. "I don't have anywhere to stay, to sleep, and the, uh, the rug you have in your room is comfortable."

"We've been sharing a room, for months." It was Chloe's turn to cover her scarlet face with her hands. "I change my clothes in that room."

"I look away," he swore.

"I bathe! I use the toilet!"

"You have a great view from your bay window," he declared. "I haven't – I find myself having to look out of it quite often."

She thought of all the things she did in her bedroom and went beet red, face _burning_ as she stormed to him and began slapping his chest. "You idiot! You don't just decide someone's rug is comfortable and – and – you _idiot_!"

He grabbed at her wrists, stopping her movement, blinking as he gazed at their hands, obviously still unused to being able to touch or be touched. "I'm getting stronger."

"Change the topic why don't you." She glared, still flushing.

"No, you don't get it, I'm getting _stronger_." Adam clasped her wrists a little tighter in awe. "I've never been able to do this before, not without dissipating into nothing but energy for a couple of days."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Inside me is the magic that cursed you. Of course it's different."

"But I couldn't touch John."

Chloe paused at that one, eyes wide. "What?"

"I couldn't touch him." Adam was still staring at his grip on her wrist before he let go and moved his hands so that his palms were touching hers, his fingers on hers. "His magic willed me away, to live a half existence." Adam's breath stuttered as his thumbs brushed hers. "I was growing weaker, I was getting desperate. It's been harder and harder to – to interact. And then – and then you _saw me_ and I _freaked out_." He laughed derisively. "I ran, which I'll admit, was _stupid_. I even put up an illusion of a wall, using up very precious energy to hide – and yet you still found me, still saw me, _touched_ me."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Why are you getting stronger?"

"I think – I think it's the same reason why you're able to see me more." Adam blinked, a little smile tilting his lips as he let go of her. "I think it's because _you_ want to see me more."

She sputtered, pushing away. "Don't be ridiculous."

There was a knock on the door and it opened, her father sticking his head in. "I thought I heard you talking to someone, must have been hearing things."

Chloe sent Adam a little look before smiling at her father. "Come on in, dad. You know me, I talk to myself all the time." She waited for him to close the door behind him, ushering him to a chair and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "So what brings you to my corner of the world today?"

"Honey, you know I've been laid off." Gabe began with a sigh. "And you know the house we live in belongs to Luthorcorp, that it's used to house the managers of their facility here."

Chloe nodded, sitting on the edge of her desk, eyeing her father in worry. "We're going to have to move house, huh?"

"Not just that, honey, we might have to move _town_."

Chloe's eyes widened. "_What_?"

"There's nowhere I could work here, but there's a job opening in Grandsville." He eyed her worriedly. "I wouldn't be making the same amount I was here, but we'd manage somehow."

Chloe wanted to tell him _no_, wanted to tell him that she didn't want to leave, not when two of her Circle members were here. But that would be so selfish of her, wouldn't it? Especially considering Gabe Sullivan wasn't even really her father and yet was doing so much to make her happy and well taken care of.

"I know that your friends are here and-"

"It's only an hour's drive away from Smallville," Chloe interrupted with a little smile, pushing off of the desk to bend on her knees next to her father. "As long as we're together that's all that matters, dad."

He smiled with relief, leaning down to cup her face. "I have such a great daughter."

"I have a better father," Chloe whispered truthfully, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him as he returned the gesture. "We're going to be fine, papa, don't worry so much."

Over Gabe's shoulder, she could see Adam leaning against the wall, smiling softly, but sadly, at them as he watched silently.

Chloe pressed one last kiss to Gabe's cheek before pulling away, smiling brighter for his sake. "Anyway, I've just about whipped this newspaper into shape. I'm sure the one at the Grandsville High School needs me more."

"True." Gabe stood, looking around. "I have to admit though, this place is a dream."

Her smile turned somewhat sad before brightening when he turned to look at her. "I can live without it."

Gabe shook his head, smiling as he ruffled her hair. "See you at home, kiddo."

"Dad! My _hair_!" And yet she was laughing as she tried to fix it, waving at him as Gabe opened the door, nearly bumping into Diana, Whitney and Greg.

"Gabe!" Diana grinned, reaching up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Did you see that my story made the front of today's Luthor Torch?"

"No, I hadn't heard." He smiled. "Congratulations – that's great. Can I have a copy?"

Chloe reached for one and went to pass one to him.

Gabe raised an eyebrow at the heading. "I hope these boys got suspended."

"They have," Greg assured him.

"Great job, Dee." Gabe ruffled Diana's hair affectionately before moving passed them. "I'll give this a read at home!"

Diana watched him go, grinning brightly, before straightening her hair as the group entered the Torch.

"So, why do I have a feeling Gabe wasn't just here to see the new office?" Whitney asked as he closed the door behind him.

"He wasn't." Chloe sighed, leaning hard against her desk once more, gaze going to where Adam was still standing before returning to her Circle members. "We're moving."

Diana's eyes widened. "We are?"

"What?" Greg blinked. "That's a _bad_ joke!"

"Where?" Whitney frowned, sitting down.

"Grandsville," Chloe announced as the door opened and Mikhail and Lucas (who'd been arguing) stopped as they saw the group talking. "He can't find a job here but there _is_ one in Grandsville and it's only an hour's drive away."

Mikhail groaned. "That's even _farther_ from where I'm staying!" He threw himself onto a chair. "I'm already getting up an extra hour early to make it to Smallville for this damned school. It'll be a _two hour_ commute to Grandsville!" He glared at Chloe as if this was all her fault. "I vote against the move."

"I don't expect you to change schools." Chloe couldn't see the issue here.

Mikhail leveled her with a glare. "The only reason I'm in Hicksville, Oh Tiny One, is because _you_ are here. If you leave, I have no reason to be here, do I?"

"Two hours to and back." Lucas shivered. "That's just torture. I vote against the move as well."

"Me three," Greg declared.

"When did this become a _vote_?" Chloe wanted to know, eyeing them in confusion. "It's not my choice either, guys, but we don't have any other option."

Adam cleared his throat. "That's not exactly true."

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Adam's eyes widened at her in shock.

She frowned in confusion as to his expression. "What?"

That was when she felt the confused looks on her and blushed, remembering all too late that the others couldn't see Adam, and that with everything that was going on, she hadn't found the right time to fill them in on his existence.

Mikhail frowned, looking from Chloe back towards Adam and then back at her. "You're doing that thing – father used to do that sometimes, hardly ever, but just sometimes."

"Yeah." Lucas frowned. "It used to happen more when we were younger, hardly ever when we got older. I almost forgot about it until now."

"What are you guys talking about?" Greg wanted to know.

"I noticed her doing this yesterday but thought nothing of it." Diana looked worried now though. "Are you okay, Chlo?"

Whitney though, was silent, looking between Adam and Chloe before clearing this throat as he returned his gaze to her. "Is there someone there we can't see?"

Chloe's gaze went to Adam's and met his before taking in a deep breath and nodding. "Yeah."

Diana's eyes widened. "_Are you serious_?"

Scratching the side of her face, Chloe's gaze went to Adam again before returning to her Circle mates and told them all she knew.

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Davis clutched at his head, images racing before his eyes far too fast for him to really catch a good glimpse of any of them. He could hear a voice whispering in his ear, but like the images, he couldn't focus on the voice or the words. All he knew was that he was in agony, blood dripping from his nostril as he tightened his grip on his head. Something was about to happen, he didn't know what, he didn't know to who, or why he could feel it... But it _was_ going to happen.

And it wasn't good.

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The rest of the school day passed without much of interest, and considering Jake would probably be arriving sometime after two in the morning, everyone was hurrying to prepare for what was going to no doubt be a fight. Chloe was the only one remaining behind in school because she was supposed to cover the next day of auditioning for the school play, and to be honest, there was nothing she could really do at this moment. Everyone was taking care of everything and she needed some rest before everything, so she sat through the auditions, surprised by the fact that many of the students were talented actors.

She took some pictures during the rehearsals, stayed behind after them to get a quote from (an enthusiastic and bubbly) Mrs Harmon, and then made her way back to the Luthor Torch office to prepare everything for the next day's edition.

Van had a good post-victory piece from Jason and the boys, with great pictures of the game itself and of the footballers and coach celebrating after the win. There were pictures of Smallville students who'd gone to support the game, as well as quotes from them. Even Principle Kwan was featured in it.

Lucas' piece on the cheerleaders was _far_ too flirty for her tastes, but he'd gotten the task done and had more than enough information on the big costume party the cheerleaders were throwing in honor of the Golden PomPoms Charity, which according to the girls, was to help cheerleaders who'd suffered grave injuries "while in the service of the Sisterhood of the PomPoms" and help them with their physiotherapy costs and such for those who didn't have medical insurance. Chloe had looked it up because it sounded bogus, but damned if she hadn't found it was a legitimate charity.

Mikhail had already left his newest piece which promised that something "major" was going to happen in Smallville "food-wise" and seemed more like a teaser than an actual article but she was going to run it anyway.

Diana's article was basically an answer to the many fan letters she'd gotten and she was also asking for people to send her "social issues" they thought needed some checking into.

Chloe stopped in the middle of what she was doing, self conscious as she looked around, not seeing Adam but that apparently didn't mean that he wasn't around. "You out there?"

Nothing.

She took in a deep breath and lowered her gaze to the screen as she finished organizing things and started the printing of tomorrow's edition so it could be just handed out. Considering that Jake and Mr Meade were arriving after midnight, and Cassie and the others were on their heels, Chloe had a feeling she wouldn't be in tomorrow and wanted to make sure that the edition was ready to go straight out. Thankfully Van was around and more than capable with computers in case anything happened.

There was a knock on the door.

Chloe looked up. "Come in."

Jason peeked his head in. "Hey."

Chloe straightened, things having been awkward between them since the little dream thing she'd subjected everyone to the first day of school. "_Hey_."

Jason cleared his throat as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. "I saw the light under the door while I was on my way out and decided to come and say hi. We haven't, uh, talked, in a while."

"We've both been busy." She stood, going around the desk to meet him. "Plus, a lot of stuff happened and is _still_ happening. It's been crazy."

"Tell me about it." Something seemed to be troubling him but he gave her a small smile. "It's kinda late for you to be here by yourself. Not really safe all things considered, don't you think?"

"I can take care of myself." She smiled, pulling a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Then again, every time I say that, I end up in trouble."

"You do." He nodded in agreement.

Licking her lips, Chloe moved a little closer. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, just, you know, busy, like you said." He ducked his gaze. "So you knew Davis before you met me, huh?"

Surprised at the change in topic, Chloe blinked. "I didn't _know_ him. I saw him, once, while I was helping at the Luthorcorp facility here. We exchanged a smile and some words, that's it."

"Right." He nodded.

"Why?" She was curious as to the question.

"You kissed Lex after you kissed me in the dream." Jason changed the topic completely all over again.

"To be fair, _he_ kissed _me_." Chloe wondered why Jason's face darkened at that. "_I_ kissed _you_."

"I think I might have kissed you just as much," Jason mumbled, apparently displeased about this. "I was supposed to get you to wake up, but instead I gave in and didn't do as I was told to."

Chloe clasped her hands behind her back. "I see."

"No, you don't." He laughed darkly, shaking his head as he sighed. "I disobeyed a direct order, that's – I don't do that."

Chloe stared up into his face as she moved a little closer almost unknowingly.

"If you kissed Oliver that would mean you've kissed all my male friends."

Chloe stepped back with a frown. "Excuse me?"

Jason groaned, running his hand over his face. "Ignore me right now, please."

"What is going on, Jason?" Chloe eyed him.

"Lex won't talk about what happened between the two of you," Jason grumbled. "He usually always talks about every little encounter the two of you have, over and over again, analyzing every little reaction your magic or brain had. That's how he is, I know that, and I expect that. What I don't expect is for him to go _silent_ over it. A silent Lex – that's never a good thing in my opinion." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "It means he's thinking something either he doesn't want me to know or knows I won't like hearing."

Chloe frowned at him. "What are you talking about? What would Lex be thinking that you wouldn't like?" She frowned darker, a bit worried now. "Would _I_ not like whatever he's thinking?"

"I don't know." Jason's gaze was greener than usual as he eyed her. "_Would_ you?"

He was being so confusing and vague it annoyed her.

"I think, for right now, it would be better if we don't interact very much, especially in school." Jason pulled away, dark emotion in his eyes as he looked away from her, going towards the door, hesitating with his back towards her. "Chloe?"

"Yeah?" she asked softly.

"Lionel Luthor and his Circle are going to be here tomorrow." He sent her a look over his shoulder, that darkness still in his eyes and yet it was tinted with worry. "Keep alert and be prepared. I don't want you getting hurt." His grip on the door tightened. "If you need me, just call and I'll be there... even if it's my parents."

And with that, he slipped out the door, closing it behind him.

Leaning against the desk once more, Chloe hugged herself tightly as she sighed deeply.

Tomorrow.

Too many damned things were happening tomorrow.

Groaning, Chloe covered her hands with her face, feeling very much like Jason had just broken up with her despite the fact that they'd never actually been together. She took in a deep breath, wiping at her eyes as she pulled her hands from her face, telling herself that this wasn't the time to act like a spurned teenaged lover. Jason might have asked her to keep her distance from him, but he'd also told her in his own way that he'd fight his parents to keep her safe, and damn it, that meant more in the long run!

Anyway, she didn't have time for a romance at the moment. She had too much family drama. There would be no way she'd have the time to concentrate and a guy would only get in her way and be a nuisance and-

A kleenex appeared in front of her.

Chloe didn't jump this time, merely yanking the tissue from the guy leaning against the table with her, dabbing it against her eyes. "_Thanks_."

"He likes you," Adam muttered, arms folded over his chest, eyes on the closed door. "I think he just realized how much he actually likes you... And he's not comfortable with it _at all_."

"I'm not an easy person to like." Chloe continued to dab at her eyes with the kleenex.

"Don't be too sure about that." Adam disappeared from her side.

Chloe turned her head to the side, facing where he'd been and reached out, hand going through the air, finding him truly gone.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she pushed away from the desk and grabbed her things, heading towards the door.

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**TBC**


	60. Hello Darkness

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Considering that Jake was arriving around three, once Chloe had gone home, she'd gone to sleep for a little with instructions for someone to wake her up around two. The pain in her shoulder was growing, the throbbing climbing up her neck, and while she'd wanted to talk to Moira about it, her father had informed her that her mother was already sleeping, having decided to rest up should anything happen as well. So the blonde took a couple of pain killers and threw herself onto her bed, cupping her neck and somehow managing to fall asleep.

When Chloe awoke, it was to someone shaking her. Her eyes opened, and she realized just how much her throat was hurting, but she ignored it and swallowed, smiling sleepily at Whitney.

"He's here," Whitney replied, sitting down on the bed. "Dee, Greg and I are going to go ahead and take them to the caves. When Cassie arrives, you know she'll come here first, so be ready."

She nodded, and when she spoke, it hurt her throat a little. "Okay."

Whitney paused, eyeing her thoughtfully. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Go on, they might have had a good couple of hours on Cassie, but she's got dark magic and hatred in her. I have a feeling she'll be here a lot sooner than we think."

He nodded, standing up. "If you need me-"

"I need you at the caves." She gave him a smile. "Go."

Sighing, Whitney turned and left.

The blonde waited until the door was closed before going to her bathroom and pausing at the doorway, narrowing her eyes as she stared around her bedroom. "I'm going to bathe now. Go to the window and look out. Now." And with that, she slipped into the bathroom, closed the door, and bathed. Her throat was seriously hurting her and when she stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel around her body and wiped away the steam from the mirror, the blonde was able to see exactly _why_.

The bite scars that'd been left on her shoulder from where her mother in wolf form had bitten her were throbbing, red, puffy and seemingly infected. Chloe gulped, pressing against the visibly throbbing marks, crying out in shock as the skin broke, black _goo_ dribbling out from her and trailing down her white skin. She bit back a cry of pain and fear, yanking out toilet paper and rolling it into her hand before pressing it to the throbbing, black-goo expelling wounds, watching in horror as the toilet paper (not so slowly) turned black.

Throwing the paper into the toilet, Chloe rolled up more, cleaning the goo, finally having to dump that in the toilet and flushing. She leaned closer to the mirror, eyeing the open wounds, washing them with water and pressing her hand towel to it as she looked for her first aid kit filled with different size bandages and anti-infectants. She dried the wounds and placed iodine on them, hissing at the pain, before placing two large band aids on both sides of her shoulder.

Changing into the clothes she'd left there earlier, Chloe took in a deep breath and exited, deciding to go and ask her mother if she needed some sort of rabies shot.

And that was when she heard the huge commotion below.

Expecting it to be Cassie, Chloe threw open the bedroom door and raced downstairs. And yet once Chloe made it to the bottom step, she realized immediately that her sister wasn't the one at fault for the mess down below. Instead, her father was picking himself up from the ground and her mother's body was spasming, half wolf and half woman, her eyes bleeding the same gunk that'd spilled from Chloe's wounds. She turned to look at Chloe, almost unseeingly, and then she turned and roared, jumping at Gabe, blood spurting and skin tearing as his cry gurgled.

Chloe cried, swinging her hand outwards away from Gabe, and yet while Moira's body went flying, she was still holding onto Gabe tightly, ripping at his neck as together their bodies hit the wall and collapsed to the ground.

"_GET AWAY FROM HIM!_" the blonde snarled, holding her hand out and slowly closing her fist.

Finally her mother let go, gasping, clawing at her neck, opening up the skin with her claws, before racing towards Chloe, knocking her to the ground.

Spell broken along with her concentration, Chloe grunted, holding onto Moira's wrists to keep them from scratching at her, a scream escaping her as Moira bit down on her unmarked shoulder, fangs tearing into the skin and ripping it to shreds. Chloe struggled under Moira, trying to activate her magic, and yet every time she did, her body seemed on fire and she could feel both sides of her neck throbbing, her mother's fangs ripping up her shoulder to shreds with every bite.

Suddenly Adam appeared behind Moira and slammed something sharp down into her shoulder, Moira roaring like an animal as she let go of Chloe, Adam using the opportunity to throw her off, sending the woman into the wall.

Whimpering, Chloe accepted help from Adam as he pulled her to her feet before the excess of energy caused him to dissipate, the blonde remaining alone, standing facing her mother, who yanked out a piece of broken wood out of her, bleeding that black goo instead of blood.

"Who did this to you?" Chloe asked softly, in agony, and yet standing as tall as she could with her blood dripping down the front of her ripped up shirt.

Moira's body twitched, her lips curling back as she snarled, eyes going form wolf to human to wolf.

"_Who_ did this?" Chloe stepped forwards. "And how do I reverse it?"

Moira's only answer was to charge, howling like a wolf as she jumped at Chloe.

The blonde fought the pain, feeling her pupils expanding as Moira froze in mid air, almost as if frozen, before being driven back _hard_ against the wall, leaving a dent. Her blood and body burned but Chloe pushed it back, for the first time _calling_ on her dark magic as it slammed Moira around, not enough to kill her or seriously injure her, but enough to hurt her.

It was obvious that Moira was being controlled somehow and Chloe called herself all sorts of ugly names for not having realized that something was up sooner. She should have questioned the stinging in her otherwise perfectly healed bite marks. She should have confronted her mother before. She should have done something. All of this was her fault. _Hers_.

This was a spell of some sort; a dark spell, an ugly, all-consuming _evil_ one that was not only controlling Moira, but had her in mid-shift, half animal, half human, completely feral. Even as a wolf, Moira had had control over her actions, had kept her human mind, and yet now it was obvious that a beast was in control at the moment, was the one acting.

A spell...

Eyes widening Chloe held her hands out towards Moira, Balcoin symbols burning slightly as the woman was pinned to the wall spread eagle, snarling and trying to fight, yet unable to.

Keeping the magic pinning Moira, Chloe stormed towards her before grabbing her nose and pressing it shut, forcing the woman's mouth to open so she could breathe. Chloe opened her own mouth and breathed in, the pupils of her eyes widening further as the black gunk slowly began to seep out from Moira, slid through the air like oil, before slithering into Chloe's mouth and body. She could feel her magic reach out and cover each tendril of the darkness, her stomach feeling queasy, disgusted, but she kept her mouth open and breathed in deeper until the last of the black gunk slithered out of Moira and into her.

Chloe collapsed to her knees, holding her stomach.

Magic no longer holding her, Moira fell unconscious to the ground, her features slowly returning human from their half-canine appearance.

Chloe shivered uncontrollably on the floor, hugging herself as the room went freezing cold, her breath coming out in visible puffs.

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"Why isn't she answering?" Whitney flinched as the cave walls shook once more under the assault. "I know the plan was to wait for Cassie to come there but none of us could have expected for her to arrive and see us taking Charles, follow us, and be here now. Chloe should be ready by the phone waiting for our call to at least know we got here alright!"

"We need to talk to Cassie," Diana whispered. "We need to explain – we need-"

"We need to knock the psycho bitch out!" Greg interrupted as dirt rained down on them.

"Don't call her that," Jake snapped at Greg from where he'd been watching over Charles, the man lying down on the blow up bed the boys had brought there for him.

"It's no use fighting amongst ourselves." Whitney frowned at them. "We need to come up with a game plan in the meantime.

Suddenly the shaking stopped.

The teens inside shared shocked glances before the sounds of fighting could be heard outside.

"Chloe?" Diana whispered, hurrying through the tunnels before reaching the entrance of the cave, eyes wide to see that instead of Chloe fighting Cassie, Lucas and Mikhail were.

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The flashes were too quick for her to really see, but as her magic covered the darkness inside, Chloe could see flashes of the witch who'd cast the spell. She saw flashes of her father, of other witches she didn't recognize, and then she saw flashes of her mother, strapped to a table as the contents of an eye-drop container were emptied into her blues.

And then Chloe gasped as the images stopped and she found herself on the ground, shivering, her body freezing cold.

Gasping for air, Chloe sat up, staring at her mother's unconscious body next to her before the sound of a groan catching her attention.

Eyes widening as she remembered her father, Chloe turned her gaze towards him and stumbled to her feet, racing towards the man before falling onto her knees besides him. Tears filled her eyes at how torn up he was. "_Dad_?"

"_You're alive_," he whispered, spitting up blood, chest in shreds. "_I'm so happy and relieved_."

Chloe wiped at her tears as she stared down at him. "I'm going to call the ambulance."

"No, I'll be dead before they come." Gabe reached out and placed his hand on hers weakly.

"_Don't say that_." Chloe's body was shaking from emotion now, and not cold, as she clasped his hand tightly. "You'll be fine. You-"

"I know that magic, that _abomination__,_ that corrupted Moira." Gabe coughed up blood, turning his head to the side and spitting it out. "He wants you – he's always wanted you, and now that he knows who you are, he's trying to destroy all those around you so that you'll have no one."

"Is it Lionel Luthor?" Chloe could barely keep her voice from trembling as her tears fell onto Gabe's bloodied face.

"No, he is so much fiercer, he is the _true_ reason why your father tried to kill every witch who wasn't Balcoin or in an alliance with him." Gabe sputtered, going oh-so pale. "He is – you must never let him – _you must be strong_."

"Daddy – let me call the ambulance," Chloe begged.

"Cassie – her finding out about Charles – that witch who told her – _he's behind it all_," Gabe stressed. "He knows that the darkness is strong in that girl, he knows that with such hatred in her, her dark magic will be so strong – will blind her." He stared up into Chloe's eyes. "He plans on using Cassie to kill the others and has used me as a distraction to keep you from stopping her." His breath stuttered as he whimpered, obviously in pained. "He manipulated it all so that your mother would be the one who killed me, alienating you further from her, and then you'd kill Cassie in a blind rage for what she will do if you don't go there and stop her immediately. You'll lose everyone but him and that's what he wants."

"_Daddy_..." Chloe was barely holding on.

"He's always wanted you, Chloe, he's been searching for you. I'm so sorry I let you down – that I can't be there for you." A tear trailed down the side of Gabe's face. "I love you so much. You – you mightn't be my blood, but you are my daughter."

"_You're my father." _Her voice was broken like her spirit as she stared down into his face. "_I love you_."

"Don't blame Moira, don't hate her for this – she wasn't in control. Please, forgive her." Gabe's life drained from him with each breath he took. "And beware him, beware..."

And with whispered words on his lips, words that shocked Chloe frozen, Gabriel Sullivan died.

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Lucas flew through the air and hit rock, slipping to the ground, hopefully only unconscious.

Mikhail shouted a command, the earth around Cassie erupting in fire, but Cassie just jumped through the flames, storming towards him, palm outstretched, their brother rising in the air.

"Get Chloe on the phone," Diana whispered to Whitney. "_Now_." And with that, she ran out of the safety of the cave, palm out towards Cassie, sending the unprepared blonde flying.

Mikhail dropped to the ground, coughing with a hand to his throat as he gasped for air.

Diana watched as Cassie slowly picked herself up. "Cassie, please stop this now."

"Why am I not surprised you're fighting me?" Cassie laughed ugly as she stood, turning towards them with a glare. "You traitorous _bitch_."

Diana flinched yet stood tall. "I should have told you-"

"Yes, you should have! He killed my mother! My grandmother!"

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm _so sorry_." And she was. "But I can't let you kill him."

Cassie's smile was ugly. "Who says I need your permission?"

And with that, she outstretched her arm, and Diana's body felt like it was on fire.

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"Why haven't you been answering?" Whitney's voice snapped in her ear. "Never mind, Cassie is here at the caves, she followed us and can't get in because you haven't given her permission, but she's fighting Diana and Mikhail and she's knocked Lucas unconscious and-"

Chloe stopped listening at that point, staring at her reflection in the mirror numbly. Her shoulder was torn up pretty bad, her shredded shirt and pale face covered in blood. Behind her, in the reflection of the mirror, she could see the dead, bloodied body of her father next to the unconscious, pale body of her mother, both on the ground.

"Chloe?" Whitney went silent for a second. "What's wrong?"

"She's going to kill them!" Jake could be heard yelling in the background.

"Stall Cassie," Chloe finally spoke, her voice emotionless. "I'm on my way."

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"Are we going to intervene in any way?" Robert Queen wanted to know from their hiding spot, the Circle of Lionel Luthor in the woods watching the multiple youths fighting against Cassie Blake. Normally, she wouldn't be this much of a threat, but not only was her hatred fueling her dark magic, but that witch who'd been sent in their midst had given her something to drink – something from _him _– something which had strengthened the girl tremendously and thus she was crushing those around her.

"Why would we?" Lionel wanted to know curiously, watching the girl easily handle those around her, only barely being kept from killing them because another and then another would attack her endlessly, leaving her little time to concentrate long enough to actually kill.

"Because she's being used by _him_." Edward Teague flinched when Cassie sent Chloe's Hand flying back into the cave.

"He hasn't interfered with _our_ Circle," Genevieve Teague declared, giving her husband a little glare. "Let the Firstborn handle her own."

"She's just a kid." Faora Bloome frowned. "How _could_ he?"

"Who's just a kid?" Robert made a face. "Cassie or Chloe?"

"_Both_ of them," Faora responded.

Genevieve opened her mouth to say something, but a wave of magic flew out from Cassie and sent everyone flying, distracting her.

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Cassie gasped, which was their only warning before the magic she'd been using on them ended and the girl collapsed to her knees, bending over with her palms on the ground.

Chloe knew that they hadn't noticed her, all of them busy fighting, but that had worked in her favor as she'd managed to surprise her youngest sister and catch her off guard. She could feel the magic inside of Cassie, both the Balcoin and the other, fighting against her, but she continued to step towards her youngest sister as the others struggled to their feet.

"This has _nothing_ to do with you," Cassie growled, still on her hands and knees, glaring at the ground. "STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" She forced herself to her feet, glaring at Chloe. "That man in there _killed my mother_! And my grandmother! I will _kill_ him!"

"Well, if we're going to live in an eye for an eye society, then after you kill Charles, Mikhail has every right to kill you for killing _his_ father," Chloe responded coldly. "And I won't stop him."

Cassie flinched. "Why do you hate me so much? What have I _ever_ done to you?"

Chloe couldn't handle this right now, not _now_. Now with everything that has happened. "I told you once in Chance Harbor something, what exactly was it?"

Cassie tightened her fists. "That I wasn't the only one who was hurt, had been hurt." Her eyes flashed with darkness. "I get what you were saying, but this isn't one of those situations you mentioned. That man inside there killed the only parent I've ever known or loved and I will make sure he _suffers_ for it."

Chloe gulped against the desire to cry, telling herself to remain strong, that now wasn't the time to break down. "Don't you think he's suffering enough?"

Cassie hesitated.

"He's the host of demons, Cassie." Chloe was in pain, the jacket she had on not doing her torn up shoulder any good, but she couldn't leave the house without it without chancing the neighbors seeing her all bloody and calling the police. "He's always awake, always in pain, always tormented by them, but he can't do anything about it. He can only blink. He can't even cry. Can't beg for help. Can't do _anything_ to help himself. If you _truly_ want him to suffer, you'll let him die of old age."

Cassie drew back, obviously confused, conflicted, running a hand over her head.

"Cassie, I-" Diana tried.

Cassie glared.

Chloe raised her hand, silencing Diana.

"I don't care." Cassie shook her head. "I'm going to kill him whether you want me to or _not_." And with that, her eyes darkened as her magic raced towards Chloe, piercing through her, and yet it was the Balcoin magic only, not the other which had been fueling her strength from before.

Chloe took a little step backwards before taking in a deep breath and beginning to walk slowly towards the other blonde.

Cassie's eyes kept widening in horror and she began taking little steps backwards, putting more and more force behind her attack and yet Chloe continued walking towards her as if nothing was happening.

Finally stopping right in front of her youngest sister, Chloe could see the fear and sadness and torture in those eyes as Cassie stared at her, still trying to attack with her magic. The Firstborn shook her head before bringing up her hand and slapping Cassie so hard the girl cried as she fell to the ground, all attempts at attacking Chloe gone, disappearing. The oldest Balcoin stood over Cassie, just staring as the defeated girl burst out into tears and collapsed on the ground, sobbing brokenly.

Black gunk was mixed in with those tears, the young witch crying out the magic Gabe had called "abominable". It was leaving her voluntarily, evaporating into the air into nothingness until the only magic within Cassie was once more a mixture of Balcoin and Blake.

Chloe eased off her jacket, hearing the hisses and cries of shock when the moonlight betrayed her battered, shredded form to her Circle. Ignoring them, she bent on her knees and wrapped her jacket around the shivering shoulders of her youngest sister.

Cassie's gaze shot up in shock as the warmth encircled her, and then her tear-filled eyes widened in horror as she too saw the state of the girl. "What-?"

"My mother did this." Chloe felt numb as she spoke, staring at Cassie blankly. "She killed my father tonight, in front of me, and would have killed me too if she could have. She was being controlled by the same person you were." Tears began to form in her eyes and slip down her pale cheeks, which were spattered with blood. "It's why I was late – I was holding him until the end."

"_No_," Diana whispered.

Cassie just stared at Chloe, a million emotions showing on her face.

"I'm sorry about your mother, about your grandmother, but I'm not going to let you kill Charles Meade," Chloe whispered, not looking away from Cassie. "Would your mother want you to? Would your grandmother?"

Cassie flinched, pulling back.

"What would your mother say if she was here right now?" Chloe closed her eyes for a second, her lips trembling as she reopened those greens, training them on Cassie as her tears continued to fall. "One of my father's last words were to beg me to forgive my mother for what she'd done." Her voice cracked with emotion and yet she refused to look away from Cassie's orbs. "What would your mom tell you if she was here?"

"You saw how she died." Cassie was trembling just as hard as Chloe, crying just as hard. "You _saw_ my dream! You know that-!" She brought her hands to her face. "Because of _him__,_ I'm all alone!"

"You're _not_ alone." Chloe's voice went harsh.

"Because I have siblings?" Cassie gave an ugly little laugh. "In case it's escaped your notice, I have met only three of my siblings so far – because that boy over there is a Balcoin, I could feel it in his magic while we fought – and I just tried to seriously hurt _all three_ of you tonight."

"You're a brat, I'll admit it."

Cassie gave a bark of laughter, wiping at her eyes.

"Please don't force me to fight you anymore," Chloe pleaded, her voice breaking with emotion. "Not tonight. I can't handle it." She collapsed to her knees on the ground, body trembling. "I just lost my father."

Cassie's green gaze was on her before she managed to get out a choked: "I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry about your mother," Chloe whispered, voice almost inaudible.

Cassie looked away, tears falling freely. "She'd tell me not to do it." The blonde turned her gaze on Chloe, seeing the question there. "If my mother was here, that's what she'd tell me."

Chloe wiped at her eyes. "You're going to move in with me."

Cassie's eyes widened. "_What_?"

"You're moving in with me," Chloe repeated, taking in a deep breath. "I'm still not sure where we'll be living considering we're about to be evicted from my home, but wherever Diana and I are moving, you're going to join us there."

Cassie just stared at her in utter shock. "But I just – why would you – I attacked-!"

"You're not alone Cassie," Chloe repeated. "No Balcoin is. No anymore." She took in a deep breath, finding the strength to stop crying, if only for now. "It's why we've been so weak, because we're apart, we're separate in every sense of the word. We need to band together because it's not safe for Balcoins anymore, and we are only safe together." She reached out her hand to Cassie. "I'm not promising that you and I are going to have a miraculously great relationship, that we'll all get along Brady-style – in fact I _know_ we're going to have problems. But we'll get over them together. As a family." She stared deep into Cassie's eyes. "And we'll get over it and move on because we're _not_ alone anymore."

Cassie stared at her in a near trance, a silent tear making its way down her pale cheek before she slowly reached out a trembling hand and placed it in Chloe's.

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Lionel Luthor smirked before turning and walking away, having seen all he'd needed to see.

Robert and Faora followed after him, both silent and contemplative.

Genevieve and Edward stayed behind, watching the teenagers in the middle of the field, sensing the healing and binding magic that was emerging from Chloe and entering Cassie through their touch. They'd heard about this before, but hadn't ever seen it happen in person and they were sure that the others weren't magically strong enough to sense what was happening there. They doubted even the Firstborn realized exactly what was going on other than her holding her youngest sister's hand.

"I can see what Jason sees in her," Edward finally announced, eyeing the girl. "She's not exactly classically beautiful, but there _is_ something highly… _enchanting_ about her."

"And the Enthrall doesn't hurt." Genevieve snorted before tilting her head to the side. "Still, I have to admit, I'm a little impressed."

Edward offered his wife his arm.

Genevieve rolled her eyes but still looped her arm with his, the two slowly following after the others, disappearing into the woods.

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**TBC**


	61. No More Running

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Her father had died the night before, the official cause of death was 'attack by a rogue animal (most probably a wolf)' and they were aptly blaming it on the wolf that had been terrorizing the late Farmer Jenkins' cattle.

While everyone was by the Balcoin caves the night before, her mother had awoken, packed up her things, and left a letter under her pillow that merely said three words: _I'm so sorry._

Her sisters weren't speaking to each other, mostly because every time Cassie looked at Diana, disgust and pain was obvious on her expression.

Her brother didn't give a shit about helping the girls and sometimes seemed to purposely say things to pit one against the other but in a way that gave him enough plausible deniability, should anything come from his prodding.

Jake and Adam Conant remained in the caves with Mr Meade, both of them resting and keeping an eye on the catatonic man where it was safe, no one trusting Cassie a hundred percent at the moment.

The rest of Cassie's Circle were here, and while they weren't making any progress, they _were_ doing their best to try and talk to Cassie and calm her down. Everyone but Faye, who'd taken to sitting sullenly and staring ahead of her, deep in thought, obviously in the middle of making an important decision.

The whole town was in an uproar, sending food to her door, as if a casserole was going to make this all better. Whitney and Greg were running interference and keeping people from coming inside to gossip and find out more about what they were dubbing as the "awful happening". The only people who'd been allowed in were the Kents, the Fordmans (even Mr Fordman was being nice) and Mrs Arkin.

Lex, Jason and the others hadn't contacted her.

Lionel Luthor had sent a gift basket.

Chloe Sullivan sat in silence in the living room, bandaged and refusing pain meds as she planned her father's funeral.

All in all, this was the shittiest birthday any newly seventeen year old could ever ask for.

To say she was in shock was putting it mildly, and she was glad the few who might know it was her birthday hadn't commented on it, not that many people were talking. Greens stared at the brochure of coffins she'd gotten and she already booked a date with a church they'd never attended once since moving to Smallville. There was just so much she had to do, but didn't know whether she could afford it all and if she could, what then? What about after her father had been lowered to the ground? What was she going to do?

Gazing blankly at the brochures in her hands, Chloe felt like the weight of the world was crushing down on her. She had two younger sisters to take care of, not just herself. She wasn't eighteen yet, she'd only just turned seventeen, and she'd had no mothering to speak of for most of her life. How could she support those two financially – not to _even think_ about emotionally! Both Diana and Cassie had _major_ issues and Chloe was in the same boat. How could she be an authoritative, maternal figure to them when she herself had so much to work through?

Despite the fact that she was close to a panic attack, Chloe had to admit that she was somewhat relieved for the distraction because if she hadn't been stressing over the wellbeing of her sisters, she probably would have collapsed by now and fallen apart. It was because there were other people depending on her that she was managing to keep it together somehow.

"Here, honey," Mrs Kent's voice interrupted her thoughts, the blonde receiving the cup of tea passed to her, giving Clark's mom a little smile as the redhead returned it and went to serve other beverages to those there.

Her older cousin Lois had called earlier on and had left a message with Diana because Chloe had been at the funeral home at the time. The message had stated that Lois and the General would be arriving later on in the day and Chloe knew that her guardianship was going to be an issue. General Lane was her only living relative (officially at least) who was old enough and "secure" enough to take over her guardianship – and he'd sent his own daughters away because he hadn't had time for them, for crying out loud. She couldn't do anything she wanted or needed to if he became her new guardian. There was no way she'd be able to live up to her promise to take care of Cassie and Diana either.

No. There was something that needed to be done.

Taking a sip of the drink, Chloe put the cup down and then looked up when she saw movement, noticing Adam Knight moving into the kitchen.

Standing, Chloe moved resolutely through the crowd before entering the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind her as she moved towards the male. "What did you mean when you said there was another option?"

Adam looked up from where he'd been looking out of the window. "What?"

"The night I was telling everyone we didn't have another choice and that we'd have to move to Grandsville, you said that that wasn't true." Chloe moved closer to him. "What did you mean when you said that?"

Adam took in a deep breath. "What did you _think_ I meant?"

"Now's not the time to play 20 Questions."

He licked his lips, gaze darting away before returning to her. "Chloe, you're a Balcoin. You don't think that your family was impoverished, do you?"

Chloe's eyes widened. "You're saying John had some money stashed somewhere?"

Adam ran his hand over his hair. "I'm _saying_ that as the oldest born, you're an _heiress_." He leaned against the counter. "Chloe, you're _loaded_. Think of Luthor money, but multiply it by fifty due to the fact that the Balcoins haven't had as many children or generations openly squandering their money. It's continued to grow and accumulate and it's _yours_."

"How do you know all of this?" Chloe whispered, staggering back a little with this revelation.

"I was John's shadow for most of my life," he replied with a sad little smile. "You'd be surprised what I know about that man."

"Where's the money and how do I get access to it?" Chloe asked, taking in a deep breath.

"I'll take you after the funeral, so-"

"No." Chloe shook her head, reaching out and grabbing Adam's hand. "Take me now. By the time Uncle Sam arrives this evening I want to have already hired a lawyer and started the process."

Adam's gaze lowered to their hands before he raised them to her face curiously. "Lawyer?"

"I'll need one if I want to become an emancipated minor," she replied, staring deep into his blues. "I only have one year to go anyway and if I am an _heiress__,_ I'm definitely financially independent, which means that I'll have less problems at getting my emancipation... and the guardianship of my siblings."

"I see." Adam eyed her silently before nodding, pushing away from the counter and pulling her along with him towards the back door, grabbing the keys on his way out and throwing them to her. "Text them so they don't have a nervous breakdown."

Everything she needed was in her jacket pockets so Chloe just nodded and let herself be dragged out of the house towards where her (barely used) car was awaiting her. She unlocked it and slipped inside the driver's seat, Adam doing the same into the passenger's seat, pulling on the seatbelt as she quickly texted Whitney telling him she had something to do and would be right back. With that, Chloe backed out of her yard and was on the road, AC off and windows down, needing the wind in her face to try and help calm the feeling of suffocation.

Silence reigned in the car between them until they reached the street leading out of Smallville. "Where are we going?"

"A place you've been to before." Adam sent her a look. "Crouch End."

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Jason wanted nothing more than to be at the Sullivan's right this instant, or to at least be able to call Chloe, text her. The news of Gabe's death by what Jason knew would be _Moira's_ hands had shaken him deeply and he could only imagine what Chloe was going through at this moment. He wanted to be there, damn it. He wanted her to at least know he knew and was there for her! And yet Lex had been right when he'd said that showing any emotion, anything that their parents might consider a _weakness_ towards the girl, would only make things worse. For now, the best thing they could do was stay the hell away from the blonde and keep a very close eye on their parents.

"A gift basket." Lex leaned against his desk, eyeing his father, who'd just come back from a fencing match with Robert, still holding his foil.

"I felt _one_ of us had to show Miss Balcoin we had manners," Lionel declared, eyeing his blade thoughtfully. "Her adoptive father just died, you know. I would have expected you to do something."

"And why would I do that?" Lex wanted to know.

Jason was just as wary as Lex was about the fact that their parents knew that they'd found out about the Firstborn and hadn't told them. But what made things even more worrying was the fact that the old people hadn't gotten angry. They'd just shrugged the whole thing off. That could only mean they were planning something and were trying to play it off as nothing so that whenever they exacted their plan, their children would be off-guard.

"I have sent for Tess and Oliver to join us, Davis is bringing them." Lionel flicked his foil in the air, the blade making a whooshing sound. "The loss of Gabriel Sullivan has made me see how much family matters. It could have been one of my children who'd died." He slashed Lex's desk with the fencing foil. "And wouldn't that have been a tragedy?"

Lex merely stared up at his father, not having reacted to that. "Just as tragic as if it'd been _your_ death, father."

Lionel eyed his son before chuckling, eyeing the room. "I believe that, as Sullivan's employers, we should take the girls in. It would be the only Christian thing to do."

"Ex-employer." Lex touched his fingertips over his chest. "You fired Gabe or did you forget that?"

Jason's view of father and son was obstructed as his mother stood before him.

Genevieve Teague eyed her son with a raised eyebrow, hands folded over her chest. "You have barely said two full sentences to your father and me since we arrived. We brought you up better than that." With an aristocratic air to her, she daintily lowered herself to the seat, eyeing him thoughtfully. "You've gotten darker."

"I spend most days out in the sun," Jason replied, knowing his mother wasn't too pleased with the fact that he was working or had transferred from his prestigious university to study at Met-U.

"Have you come across that Potter woman?" Genevieve made a face of disgust. "Her and her breed should have been put down. So _arrogant_-"

"No, I haven't." Jason interrupted his mother despite knowing how much that annoyed her. "Her niece apparently ran away so she has had no reason to be in the high school and other than going to pick up stuff in town or studying at Met-U, I don't really leave this manor."

"Socialization is important. I've taught you this." Genevieve shook her head before raising an eyebrow. "What about the Balcoin Firstborn?"

Jason felt himself prickling, not at all happy at having to discuss Chloe with his mother. "What about her?"

"You have met her, so tell me about her. I'm curious about the girl." Genevieve's lips curled in a cunning smile. "She must be quite the woman to have caught my son's eye the way I can tell she has."

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_**Okay, but be careful, alright? And if you need me just**_** text.**

After having finally noticed the text Chloe'd left on his phone (after searching all over for her and being unable to find her), Whitney sent the return text to Chloe and looked up as Mikhail and Lucas talked to each other in the corner, disturbed expressions on their face as they spoke.

The adults spoke off to the corner by themselves, segregated from the youth.

The younger generation of witches weren't really talking to each other, the television on and some doing their best to watch it, yet obviously their minds were far off. Adam Conant and Jake (who were both still in the caves) were going to be taking Mr Meade to his mother's later on in California and the boys were both readying for the trip, neither of them having had much contact with Cassie, who hadn't really spoke much since she'd agreed to move in with Chloe.

Diana sat by herself, knees hugged to her chest as she stared ahead of her in silence.

Sighing, Whitney put his phone in his pocket and sat down on the armrest of her chair, staring down at her uncharacteristically unkempt brown locks. The Quarterback hesitated a second before reaching down and softly brushing a brown wave out of her face.

Diana turned her dark gaze on him, expression sorrowful. "I'm useless."

He frowned at her. "Why would you say that?"

"I've lost both of my parents, I should be able to comfort Chloe, to say something sage, something uplifting, but I _can't_." Tears filled those dark eyes as they rested on him. "I can't do anything but keep from crying." She took in a jagged breath. "First I let down Cassie, and now Chloe."

Licking his lips, _so_ not used to handling crying females, Whitney could only reach out and pull the girl closer.

She came without fight, leaning her head against his side, her hand on his hip. "Chloe's trying to be so strong but-"

"She looks empty," Whitney finished the brunette's sentence, nodding his agreement, he'd seen it too. "She's numb. She's still in shock." He paused. "I'm worried about when what's happening really hits her."

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"Does this feel like a boarding house or what?" Lucas made a face as he gazed around at the people there. "Half of the ones here shouldn't be in the first place."

Mikhail's gaze took in his sisters, one of them taking comfort from Whitney Fordman and the other staring blankly at the television. "They'll both be living wherever it is Chloe moves to from now on."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at that. "I know."

"It'll be a Balcoin house," Mikhail muttered a little resentfully.

Lucas's eyes widened slightly as he realized what was going on. "And yet you're not invited."

"Not that I care." Mikhail sneered. "The warehouse is my home, always has been."

Lucas frowned, staring into his best friend's eyes and seeing the lie so plain, it pained.

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"Balcoin Firstborn, Marx has been looking for you." The tiny man with the intimidating air to him drew closer. "Why did you return?"

Chloe sent Adam a look, wishing now more than ever that he could be visible to someone else other than her so that she didn't seem so alone and vulnerable right now. "I've been told you're guarding more than just my father's book of spells."

Marx smiled, some of his teeth black, some gold, as he drew nearer. "I guard many things for many people."

"Money." She went straight to the point. "You're guarding _money_ for my family."

"Give me your hand, Balcoin Firstborn." Marx held out his hand towards her.

Chloe sent Adam another look before reaching out and placing her hand in Marx's, giving a cry when she felt fire racing through her palm, the blonde pulling away from Marx and blowing on said palm – only to find a nameless black credit card, the strip at the back blood red.

"Marx will take you to where the Balcoin treasures are, but this will be enough for you to use the currency in a more human-style." Marx eyed her curiously. "I have been looking for you as now that your father is dead, I need to renew my contract with the new head of the Balcoin family. Also, there are some things which were entrusted to me for safekeeping should something like this happen, and they now belong to you."

Chloe licked her lips, eyeing the black credit card in her hand, deciding not to be distracted by the way he switched from third person to first when referring to himself. "So I can use this just like any normal card? What about an ID? It doesn't say my name or anything. How-"

"It is all you need," Marx interrupted. "From today onwards, think of Marx as your in-between man. My services vary greatly and I can acquire even the most rare of artifacts at the right price. Marx is a very good man to keep at hand."

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe drew a little closer. "Do you know a good lawyer?"

"Good as in morally or as in professionally?" Marx asked with a smirk on his lips.

Chloe returned the smirk. "I want to become emancipated and I want full guardianship of all of my siblings, because even if Mikhail hasn't mentioned the need of it, he's still a minor and our father is dead. Social services will no doubt catch a whiff of that sooner or later."

"Marx can have this tended to quickly, no problem," he assured her.

"Good." The blonde nodded, taking in a deep breath. "I also need a conveyancing expert."

"You wish to buy property?" Marx asked curiously.

Chloe paused for a moment before nodding. "I do." She took in a deep breath. "I'm also looking for someone, so if you know a reliable expert in that field, I'd be most appreciative."

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Faye's world felt like it was crumbling. She couldn't reconcile the thought of her mother as a murderer – or an accomplice to one, at least.

And it'd been Cassie's _mother_!

Faye covered her face with her hands.

She didn't like Cassie, sure, but the thought of _her mother_ having some part to play in the death of Cassie's made her sick to her stomach. She didn't know what she was going to do – how she was going to handle this. All she knew for sure was that she understood why Diana had kept it quiet because there was no way in hell Faye would ever let Cassie know that Dawn had been a part of the plot. No. No matter how sick it all made Faye feel, Dawn Chamberlain was her mother and she needed to protect her.

Didn't mean she wanted to be anywhere _near_ her mother though.

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Chloe's cousin and uncle had arrived and the blonde was still out somewhere or another. Whitney had texted her to let her know of their arrival after informing the newcomers that she was out for some fresh air, and the adults had pulled General Lane into their conversation, while the teenagers made a space for Lois on the couch. No one really spoke, no one really wanted to. The feeling in the air was heavy, mournful, and every couple of minutes one of the girls would wipe at their eyes and sniffle.

Greg wasn't one to cry, he really wasn't, but this was so depressing, he had to deliberately avoid eye contact with anyone because he could feel the way his eyes were glistening. And damn it, men's eyes didn't glisten with tears. Men didn't cry. That was just that. And anyway, if Chloe was strong and not crying, he was going to do the exact same thing.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the thought of Chloe having siblings," Lois admitted to Melissa, who'd said something to her. "She's always been an only child and now to see _three_ siblings, it just blows my mind away." She gave a sad smile. "At least – at least she's not _really_ alone. I keep having to move all the time and I can't be there for her as much as she'd need me – so I'm glad she's had you guys." Lois sent a look in her father's direction. "Although – I'm a bit worried because of my father."

Cassie frowned, finally speaking. "What do you mean?"

"He thinks – he's considering sending Chloe away," Lois admitted. "He's her legal guardian and, well, my sister and I didn't grow up with him, if you get what I mean. She's in Europe, has been for years, and I'm in college. He'll probably send Chloe off too."

Worry filled Cassie's face as she straightened. "But Chloe said I could stay with her."

Lois nibbled on her bottom lip. "She mightn't have a choice."

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It was night time before Chloe finally made it back to her house, and she stayed in her car for a couple of minutes, just staring at the house.

Adam Knight sat next to her, staring at it as well. "Are you not planning on going in?"

"In a minute." She turned her gaze towards him. "Thank you."

His blues finally rested on her. "It was what anyone would have done in my position."

"No, it isn't. I know _too many_ people who would have sat on that information and not told me. Especially when they have a _reason_ to hate my family and want to see us suffer."

Adam's gaze lowered, the young man silent.

"You've just saved me, saved my family, you're-" Chloe cleared her throat, eyes filling with tears as she fought to keep a smile on her face, to keep control. "I'll never be able to thank you for what you've done today." She hesitated a second before reaching out and placing her hand on his. "Even after I break this curse on you, I'll still always be in your debt."

"I didn't do it so that-" Adam's words froze in his throat when she reached over and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

It was innocent, her lips barely moving as she pulled away, and yet Chloe had meant it with all of her heart. "_Thank you_."

Adam blinked before he cleared his throat and looked away, giving a little chuckle as he ran his hand over the back of his head. "You're welcome."

With that, Chloe opened her car door and emerged, wiping at her eyes and taking in a deep breath, composing herself, before heading towards the house.

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Lois had rushed to hug Chloe the second she'd entered the house and Diana had been grateful for the distraction so she could wipe at her eyes and compose herself. She needed to be strong, needed to smile, needed to be there for her sister. And yet, as she saw Chloe's face twist in pain as she hugged Lois tightly, Diana could feel a sob in her own throat.

Whitney's hand came down on her shoulder, the only thing anchoring her, and she knew that she could do this – _had_ to do this. Had to be strong.

General Sam Lane greeted his niece awkwardly, obviously genuinely sorry for her and yet not at all sure how to properly demonstrate it.

Chloe pulled away with a little smile to her uncle before motioning to the side and asking him something.

General Lane did as asked and joined her at the far corner.

Diana watched the two speaking together.

Chloe spoke softly yet with determination, her words obviously surprising General Lane if his expression was anything to go by, the blonde pulling out some documents that'd been folded in her jacket pocket and handing them to him.

General Lane read the documents carefully, closely, before looking up and asking Chloe something.

She gave a tremulous little smile before nodding, her lips mouthing "I'm sure."

There was a spark of worry and pride in his face as General Lane nodded and reached out, patting Chloe's shoulder.

The blonde smiled up at him tearfully, thanking him, before pulling away and coming towards them. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

Diana didn't know why she felt so nervous, sending Whitney a little look before returning her gaze to her older sister.

"I'm in the process of becoming an emancipated minor." She hurried on before the murmurs could begin. "My father – he uh – he had life insurance and has left me with enough money to live more than comfortably for the next couple of years. With some of this money, I just finished purchasing Miller's Field, all seventy acres, and I'm going to build a home there for my family. _All_ of my family." The blonde's green gaze swept across the room, her Circle realizing she'd bought the land over the Balcoin Caves. "Once I'm a fully emancipated minor, I'm going to file for legal guardianship of my siblings." Her gaze went to Mikhail. "All of them except for Pete."

Diana's gaze went to where their brother stood, his skin pale and eyes wide.

"Also Lucas," Chloe added. "Because I doubt Mikhail would want to live with us if his best friend couldn't tag along."

"Wait, you want to be my... uh... foster mom?" Lucas looked utterly horrified and intrigued at the prospect.

"Let's never say 'foster mom' ever again." Chloe chuckled, shaking her head before she went serious once more. "This is my gift to me; my family_." _Her eyes went dark. "And no one's going to take them away from me."

Whitney squeezed Diana's shoulder, the brunette giving him a little grin before turning it on Chloe.

Cassie smiled softly, relief on her face.

Mikhail still appeared to be utterly shocked.

Lucas seemed to slowly be getting accustomed to the idea, sending Chloe a mischievous grin. "Can I call you mommy?"

The blonde sent him a dirty look yet laughed, shaking her head. "Don't you _dare_."

Lois hugged Chloe, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm proud of you, Baby Cuz. If you need anything, I'm only a couple of cities away."

Chloe smiled at Lois, leaning into her embrace, before her gaze swept onto the teens there.

Diana's smile slowly slipped from her face as she suddenly realized that this was the moment Chloe Sullivan died, along with all her childhood dreams and aspirations, and Chloe Balcoin, Firstborn, truly was born.

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**TBC**


	62. The Funeral

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Gabriel Sullivan's funeral was well attended for, while he hadn't been a very social man, he'd been friendly and all of the workers at Luthorcorp had attended. Lex, Jason, Davis, and the two remainder of Lex's Circle that Chloe had yet to meet were there as well. So were Lionel and _his_ Circle. Chloe had felt her family, her Circle, tensing at their presence but she hadn't minded Lionel too much, knowing that there was no way that he would do something while there were so many people. Nell was there as well as others from the community and they were all crying by the time they moved to the cemetery and Gabe's coffin was lowered to the ground.

People all around were whispering about a wolf-hunt needing to be conducted – about how horrible that such a nice man like Gabe had to die when there were so many more "death-worthy" people in Smallville – and they hissed about how they'd always _known_ Moira would up and leave town when her family needed the most since that was "so Moira".

Chloe felt numb as she watched the coffin descend, so empty, so _cold_. She forced herself to stare though, to not look away, because her father was gone and with him, any adult support she could have truly trusted. A part of her, her childhood, died with Gabe and she mourned his passage, mourned the fact that she could have had so many more years with him. He could have walked her down the aisle – could have held his (very) future grandchild in his arms.

Her gaze rose to the distance where Adam Knight stood leaning against a tree, watching with a blank expression on his face.

She owed so much to that guy; Chloe knew that she wasn't going to rest until she'd found a way to lift the spell from him. The thought of pulling it out of him as she had previously with others crossed her mind, but considering she believed that odd little ability of hers was a part of her Enthrallment (even if backwards) and the "Burdens" didn't work on the Six – it made sense to also search for the counter-spell to the Desolate Existence. But that would mean that she'd have to actually open the Balcoin book of spells, and she had to admit that it scared her for some reason. Still, she was the Firstborn now and she was going to have to put away childish fears, butch up, and do what needed to be done.

People were beginning to leave, all heading towards the Kent's home, as Clark's parents had offered to have the post-funeral gathering there, Mrs Arkin and Mrs Fordman having helped prepare food for the mourners. Chloe was grateful for the people around her and all they were willing to do to help.

Lois and the General had already said their goodbyes, both having to leave immediately after the funeral due to important commitments, and Chloe had hugged her cousin tightly, returning the promise to keep in touch more, before waving goodbye and watching them leave.

Someone stopped in front of Chloe, silent until she looked up and was surprised to see Van, not having noticed him before.

He was silent as he stood in front of her, letting out a little sigh as his gaze went to the edge of the bandage visible on the side of her shoulder and then to the coffin, before licking his lips. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he opened his eyes once more and said four words that nearly caused her to break down. "You're nothing like her."

Of _course_ he'd realized the truth.

"I'm not going to the Kent's – that's not my sort of scene." Van cleared his throat, obviously very uncomfortable. "But I just wanted you to know – you know."

"I do." She nodded, giving him a trembling smile. "Thanks."

Van sighed, nodding, before turning and leaving, his hands in his pockets.

"Miss Balcoin," a voice declared smoothly from behind, "on behalf of my family, let me extend our deepest condolences for the passing of your adoptive father."

Chloe closed her eyes, steeling herself before opening those greens and sighing as she turned to face Lionel Luthor. "On behalf of my family we accept those condolences, Mr Luthor."

He held out his hand towards her, flanked on either side by those of his Circle.

Chloe could see her Circle tensing, some drawing closer, but she shook her head at them to stay where they were, returning her gaze to Lionel as she placed her hand in his and let him bring it to his lips in a kiss.

"It must be a heavy burden, to _truly_ be the head of your family now at such a tender age." Lionel closed his other hand over hers, trapping hers in his. "I would like for you to rely on my family in general and myself in particular."

She felt a cold chill run down her spine and yet kept herself from taking her hand out from his because he was the Head of the Luthor clan and she was going to have to deal with him one on one until his death. Also, she was getting a feeling that this whole "belonging to the Luthor Circle" thing was getting more and more shady because, while Lionel had tried that claiming thing with her, it hadn't worked, and he hadn't seemed to be trying all too hard. She felt, like always, that everything around her was a lie, that someone else knew the truth yet wasn't deigning to tell her, and that Lionel Luthor enjoyed holding all the cards.

"I wish my father could have felt the same support, his job was his joy." Chloe's voice was pleasant, as was her expression, despite the words she spoke.

Robert Queen smirked.

Lionel tightened his grip on her hand. "Should your siblings and you need a place to live, we open Luthor Manor with open hearts to you in your time of need."

"You are so kind, Mr Luthor." Chloe continued with that pleasant smile on her face despite the fact that all she wanted to do was slap up the man. "But it will not be necessary as provisions are already being made for us. In fact, we'll soon become your closest neighbors."

Lionel blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Is that so?"

"Yes." Chloe nodded. "You see, I have purchased Miller's field from his wife, who wants nothing of his since he left her. She sold everything to me and is now readying to go to Vegas to live with her sister." She was relishing the look of shock on that man's face. "You'll have to forgive me because your peace will be disturbed come Monday as the contractors will be arriving first thing to start the construction of my new home. I'm going to rent Margery Tatum's house until the construction is complete as she too left after her husband joined the Mass Exodus from Smallville some months back. So thank you for your _generous_ offer, but we'll manage on our own."

Lionel eyed her in thought before chuckling darkly, shaking his head. "I shall make sure to bring an appropriate house warming present once construction has ended." And with that he let Chloe's hand slip from his and moved away, most of his entourage following behind him.

Genevieve Teague stayed behind, eyeing Chloe with a raised eyebrow, her multicolored eyes critical. "You're a little girl."

Chloe frowned at that, raising her chin as she met that gaze front on. "I was."

Genevieve raised an eyebrow. "No use putting on such airs. Whenever he wants, Lionel could take what's _his_."

"I'm sure he could _try_." Chloe stepped closer to the regal looking woman. "But we _both_ know how that ended last time."

"_We both_ know why it didn't work." Genevieve raised her chin.

"Do we?" Chloe asked curiously. "Do we _really_?"

A hint of disturb passed over those eyes. "What are you implying?"

Chloe just smiled, shaking her head. "I imply nothing, Mrs Teague."

The older woman frowned at her, obviously not too pleased at all and yet intrigued. "My son is cultured and refined and a gentleman." She took in a deep breath. "He is _wasted_ here in your silly little high school."

Oh, so _this_ was why Genevieve Teague didn't like her? Because she was blaming Chloe for her son being here in Smallville and not wherever else it was that Genevieve felt her son should be?

"You should bring that subject up with Lex." Chloe tilted her head to the side. "Though I doubt he would approve of you questioning his decisions and how he runs his Circle – be Jason your son or not. Jason's an adult who is fully capable of making his own decisions."

"I'm his mother," Genevieve declared. "I understand your inability to understand my investment in his future given the fact that it is common knowledge that your mother has never had a stake in your life – but my son is the most important person in my life and I am willing to do whatever I feel is needed to be done to protect him. Even if it's from himself – or what he _thinks_ he wants."

Chloe was a little confused at that one before her eyes widened. "You think I've Enthralled him."

Genevieve raised an eyebrow. "Will you deny it?"

Chloe shook her head. "I _have_ unknowingly Enthralled Jason in the past, but any affects I've had on him are long gone by now." She drew closer. "We have never been friends, never will be – but we're on friendly terms and you're not going to stop that."

Genevieve sneered. "We'll see about that."

Chloe reached out and grabbed Genevieve's arm as she moved to go, causing the woman to glare down at her. "There's no reason why you wouldn't want me to be on friendly terms with your son, in fact, you should be encouraging it because he could be a tool to bring me into the Luthor fold so obviously this is something else entirely, a game all of your own." Chloe gazed up into those multicolored eyes. "What sort of game is worth playing if only one person is playing and knows the rule?"

Genevieve continued to stare at her harshly before her lips twitched, barely, and then she pulled herself free from Chloe's grip and straightened herself regally. "I am too old to play games."

"A girl is _never_ too old to play games," Chloe corrected.

Again, Genevieve's lips twitched slightly but she reined it in, those eyes on her husband as she swayed away.

Chloe watched her go, somehow feeling like she'd passed some kind of test.

"You know, I think she likes you," an unfamiliar voice declared.

Chloe turned to see Lex's redheaded sister. "Tess, right?"

"And you're Chloe, the Balcoin Firstborn." Tess eyed her up and down. "Oliver didn't want to meet you but I couldn't pass up the opportunity." She tilted her head to the side. "I lost a finger because of you." She then smiled, rubbing the reattached finger. "Though to be honest, I'm more interested in meeting you because of my brother. He won't speak about you. That's not like him." She raised an eyebrow. "Jason's been arguing with Lex, questioning him and his decisions, his orders. That's not like _him_." Those eyes stared at Chloe as if she were a fascinating doll. "Davis is sulking and withdrawn from everyone but especially Jason, which is not like _him_ either." She stepped closer. "And then, of course, there's the fact that the woman I loved like a sister had my boyfriend and I kidnapped and tortured. For you. And that was _not_ like Patty. She's – she's a pacifist."

Chloe didn't back down as Tess drew closer. "I apologize for the acts that were done in my name and should I be able to repay you for your suffering somehow, in a way that doesn't go against my integrity, beliefs, or friends, then I _will_."

Tess eyed her before smiling darkly. "I'm considering your offer instead of scratching your eyes out like I usually would... and that's unlike _me_." The redhead eyed her before stepping away. "I'll be seeing you around, Balcoin Number One." And with that, she walked away to where Oliver, Lex, Davis and Jason were waiting for her in the parking lot, the men not giving Chloe a look as they turned and headed towards their fancy rich-children cars.

Chloe watched Tess leave and realized she'd just met the two most important women in both Jason and Lex's lives – and didn't know what to think about them or their interactions.

The graveyard was nearly empty, everyone already headed towards the Kents.

The blonde turned towards her father's grave, watching as two men began shoveling dirt over the coffin. She moved towards the grave and collapsed to her knees on the ground, watching silently up until the dirt completely covered her father's grave.

The men left wordlessly, the sun setting behind her as Chloe just stared at the grave.

A part of her didn't believe this was happening; that her father was dead and her two childhood best friends weren't here by her side. She'd tried calling Pete and Clark, tried telling them what'd happened, but they hadn't answered her calls and so she'd been forced to write an email to them, an email which was still unanswered. They were obviously doing something important, she could understand that, but a part of Chloe hated Clark and Pete for being in some exotic location with _Lana Lang_ when _Chloe_ needed them the most.

Couldn't they have found enough time for a text at least?

A crying emoticon mixed with a hugging emoticon would have been better than nothing.

A hand touched Chloe's shoulder as Diana knelt on the ground next to her, bringing the girl from her dark thoughts.

Chloe looked around her, surprised to realize that she wasn't as alone as she'd expected.

Whitney and Greg were standing directly behind her, almost as if protecting her.

Lucas and Mikhail stood silently to her left while Cassie and Faye were on her right.

Across from her, bending on his knee, Adam's gaze was on the grave.

Chloe knew that Adam Conant and Jake were already on the road, taking Mr Meade as far away as they could to where his mother and her Circle would keep him safe in a city and home Cassie didn't know of, just for safe measure. Melissa had decided to join them at the last minute, had tried to convince Faye to join and when her convincing had been in vain, she'd hugged Chloe, apologized because she wasn't "good at funerals" and had hurriedly left with the boys.

"Thank you, Mr Sullivan, for opening your home and heart to me," Diana whispered, voice shaking as she gazed at the grave. "Thank you for accepting me as if I were your daughter as well... And for giving me the nickname Dee." She gulped, voice softening. "No one's ever given me a nickname before." The brunette looked away, blinking her eyes furiously. "Keep an eye over us while you're in heaven, okay?"

Chloe gulped around the block of emotion wedged in her throat.

"Thanks for being a cool guy." Greg cleared his throat. "And for showing me how to fix my motorcycle that time it was giving trouble."

Chloe smiled softly at the memory of her father and Greg tinkering with Greg's beloved beast.

"Thanks for trusting us and always being there as backup whenever we needed you, even though you didn't have magic." Whitney took in a deep breath. "Don't worry about Chloe, we're going to take good care of her."

Chloe's hands began to tremble.

Lucas didn't say anything, merely picked up a flower that'd been tossed by the wind and threw it wordlessly on the grave.

Mikhail was silent as well, raising his hand towards the grave, the flower Lucas had tossed taking root before slowly other flowers began to emerge from the soil and bloom.

Chloe's whole body began shaking.

"I really didn't know you." Faye took in a jagged breath before giving the grave a little cheeky smile. "But don't worry, I'll make sure one of those guys don't knock up your daughter while they're 'taking good care' of her." She leaned closer. "I'll especially keep an eye on this Lucas guy for you because he seems somewhat shady."

Lucas merely flipped her the bird.

Faye raised an eyebrow before turning her gaze back on the grave. "Oh, yeah, _definitely_ keeping an eye on that one."

A bark of laughter escaped Chloe's lips even as her eyes filled with tears.

Cassie merely stared blankly at the grave, her voice soft, sounding so much like a scared child it was pitiful. "Why do the people we love the most keep dying? Are we cursed?"

Chloe's gaze went to Adam, her greens meeting his blues, remembering a time when she'd wondered the very same thing. The blonde's voice wavered as she wiped at her eyes, forcing herself to stay in control of her emotions, to not break down. "No, we're not cursed." She pressed her fingers to her lips before resting them on the grave. "I love you, daddy." Standing, she turned to look at her Circle. "Let's go, Mrs Kent will start to worry if we don't arrive soon."

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Jason stared out of the window, cradling a glass of scotch as he stared at the full moon.

Their parents were definitely planning something, especially his mother, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Unable to sleep?"

Jason turned, surprised to see Davis. Ever since that drunken night of confessions from the both of them concerning the blonde Firstborn and their own obsessions with her, their friendship had been somewhat strained. "Yeah."

Davis joined him at the window, staring at the moon as well. "They say the full moon plays with our heads."

Jason shook his head before downing the rest of his drink. "The moon's not what we have to worry about."

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Faye hadn't been able to take it any longer, sneaking into Clark's bedroom and slipping out onto the roof from there, needing to get away from the others. What she hadn't expected was to find Chloe already there, staring at the stars. The brunette crawled her way towards the blonde and sat down next to her, staring up at the sky as well.

"I got sick of everyone looking at me so pitifully," Chloe admitted, not looking away from the moon.

"Understandable." Faye nodded, making a face. "I just couldn't take the crying. It's stupid. You're his daughter, you are the only one who has a right to cry and it's like you're the only one who hasn't."

Chloe took in a deep breath. "I can't, not right now."

Again, Faye could understand that.

"Thank you for staying and attending the funeral. You didn't have to." Chloe closed her eyes, the wind playing with her hair.

"Don't mention it." Faye cleared her throat, looking away.

"Your mother was somehow involved in Cassie's mother's death, wasn't she?" Chloe kept her eyes closed.

Faye's eyes widened in shock, the girl paling. "H-how-?"

"Every time Mikhail _'innocently'_ mentions Diana's dad, or what happened, you flinch and look away." Chloe hugged herself. "Diana does the same exact thing."

Faye's gaze lowered to her shoes. "My mother didn't kill Cassie's – but she was working along Mr Meade and knew what he was going to do."

"I see."

Faye stared at her shoes as if they held the answers to her life. "I only found out about it after everything and – I don't want Cassie to know."

"Cassie has a weakness for the darkness inside of her. She doesn't need her hatred fanned by anything." Chloe lay back against the roof's tiles, seeming to be bathing in the moonlight. "She'll never really completely trust or forgive Diana, but she'll be able to get on with her life if she's removed from those things. I'll make sure of it. She's my responsibility now – my baby sister." Chloe let out a deep sigh. "I'm still wrapping my head around everything. When it all registers, I think I'm going to have a mini nervous breakdown and hide in my room for days."

Faye nibbled on her bottom lip, annoyed with herself for her hesitance, which was so out of character for her. "I could help, you know. I mean, I know both Diana and Cassie well and I could act like a buffer, I guess." She gave a shrug. "Plus I _did_ just promise your dad that I'd make sure you didn't become another teenage statistic – and that Lucas guy _really is_ shady. I mean, when he thought I was you, he entered the changing room with you-me-us?" Faye made a face, wondering what the correct pronoun was, before shaking her head, feigning nonchalance as she rubbed her thumb over her exposed toes.

"You don't want to face your mother, do you?" Chloe asked softly.

Faye chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Talk to her Faye, even if it's by phone." Chloe sighed. "Believe me, you don't want to take a parent for granted."

"Even if she's a killer?" Faye asked softly.

Chloe merely reached out and placed her hand on Faye's, offering her the only sort of comfort she could at that moment, eyes still closed. "Talk to her, and if she agrees with it, you can stay here, at least until you two have worked things out."

Faye smiled softly, her dimple showing as she stared ahead of her. "If you _insist_."

Chloe gave a weak little laugh, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

The two of them stayed up on that rooftop until it was time to go.

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"YOU COULD HAVE DIED, MERCY!"

"BUT I DIDN'T! _WE_ DIDN'T!"

Oliver shook his head, collapsing on the bed. "_How_ can you be so calm about this – about everything? I just want to tear everyone apart!"

Tess sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her boyfriend. "Oliver, if we were in her shoes, our people would have done the same to her and hers. I can't take it personal, that's how things are."

Oliver groaned, throwing himself back on the bed. "We were tortured-"

"We only felt discomfort," she reminded softly. "Whatever Patricia gave us-."

"Oh, yes, Saint Patricia, Patron Saint of Traitors and Psychopaths!" Oliver snapped before covering his eyes with his hands. "I'm losing control, Merce. I don't know how much more I can take right now."

"Oliver, you're going to have to take much more and be a man about it." She didn't believe in babying anyone, not even him. "This is how things are and you're just going to have to get used to it."

"Just as sentimental as always I see." He laughed darkly.

Sighing, Tess laid down next to him, hand going to his heart. Nothing she could say would make him feel better, so she just laid there next to him.

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Diana and Faye were sharing her room while Cassie slept in what had been Moira's, Lucas and Mikhail making do on the pull out couch. It was a good thing they were moving house soon (the packing already having begun) because Chloe's family had just completely outgrown the house they were in. It was going to be sad to leave this place, she'd basically grown up in it, but her father had also been killed here and Chloe didn't think she would have been able to stay here even _if_ they weren't being evicted.

Sitting by the bay window, Chloe stared outside, trying to wrap her head around how her life was going to change – had already changed. It was mind-shattering, _terrifying_, and as the blonde rested her forehead against the glass, she wished this was nothing but a horrible nightmare, and yet she knew it wasn't. It was horrifyingly real.

The blonde wiped at the silent tears falling down her cheeks as she turned to look at the bedroom. "Adam? Are you there?" Nothing, so she tried again. "I'm not mad if you're there, just – are you?"

Suddenly Adam appeared, sitting on the rug he claimed was so comfortable, hugging his knees to his chest, expression highly uncomfortable. "I can leave."

Chloe rose and went to the rug, sitting down opposite him as she continued to eye the man. "You shadowed John for most of your life."

He nodded in silence.

Chloe licked her lips. "What my father told me before he died – is it true?"

There was silence, and then Adam nodded once more.

The blonde lowered her head, gulping around the thick lump wedged in her throat.

It seemed that every time Chloe got one of her questions answered it opened up so many other questions, and she was just so tired of it all. At this moment she couldn't handle the secrecy and the lies, couldn't tolerate the intrigue and the hidden plots that seemed to now be ever a common occurrence in her life. She was just too sad, too tired, too _beaten_ to handle this. She couldn't.

There-there was just so much she could handle in one day and there was no one in this room she had to be strong for.

For a moment she didn't react, emotions still half frozen as they'd been all day, but she couldn't keep it in any longer. She was tired, scared, lonely, hurt, and she missed her father so terribly her whole body ached and it was hard to breathe.

Unable to hold herself together anymore, Chloe cried out as she pushed up on her knees and wrapped her arms around Adam, holding him tightly as she began to sob into his chest.

His body went stiff, Adam's eyes wide as his hands remained at his side, obviously not used to this sort of thing or how to handle it. He seemed almost _scared_ _stiff_ and yet slowly his hands rose to awkwardly rub her back as soothingly as he could. Adam cleared his throat multiple times, removing his hands from her and bringing them back over and over again before finally he wrapped her in a hug.

Maybe she was taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't tell anyone that she'd broken down, maybe she was just sick of being strong for the day, maybe she just wanted someone to hug her and not say a word. Whatever it was truly didn't matter. Not to Chloe. Not at that moment. She merely clung to Adam's shirt and cried into his chest, later finding herself curled in his lap, the man cradling her in his arms much like one would a child.

That would be the one and only time she'd truly cry brokenheartedly over the death of her father, and the two of them were the only ones who'd ever know of it.

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**TBC**


	63. Paved With Good Intentions

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Waking up with a groan, Chloe rolled over on the bed and gazed down at the inflatable bed on the floor where Adam was snoring, his head resting on a pillow and body wrapped up in a snug blanket. They'd made the move to the house they were renting, but since there were only enough rooms for Chloe and the teens under her care, Adam was still sleeping in her bedroom, the blonde still highly self-conscious about having a male roommate, but she'd laid down some ground rules and so far things seemed to be working out fine. Plus, Adam was stuck with her because of her father so Chloe figured she wasn't the one with the roughest part of the deal. She now found her days filled with schoolwork, evenings filled with trying to referee the five teenagers under her (now legal!) care, and nights spent in bed going through the Balcoin Book of spells trying to find a counter-spell on the Desolate Existence spell.

It was a little comical book-wise because she'd at first thought it to be very small but when she'd finally brought the book to her home so she could read it at nights and had _opened_ the book (which had required a drop of her blood), it'd then transformed into a monstrosity of a book that was so heavy she found it hard to pick up sometimes and holding it for more than a few minutes really began to strain her arms. Also, there seemed to be a million pages at least and no one had thought to leave a couple of pages in front blank for a table of content, so Chloe was forced to go through each page, reading everything there. On one hand, she was learning more about magic and spells and the Balcoin heritage. On the other hand, it might take her forever to find the spell that'd been cast on Adam and how to reverse it.

Until then, he was a guest in her home (the others treating him like the family pet-ghost) and Adam slowly started to become visible (to Chloe) more and more often. Lately, he hardly ever vanished anymore and was able to interact with solid objects more and more without them tiring him into become bodiless energy. He was obviously enjoying this and Chloe had seen the shock and touched feeling on his face when Diana had bought a dry erase board and markers so he could write on it if he needed anything or just wanted to talk.

Since the others couldn't hear him, everyone had taken to asking him questions and waiting for him to slowly write out the answer on the board they'd secured to the wall. And if he wasn't around, they'd merely write the question on the board and whenever he came across it, Adam would write down his response.

It was an odd way to live, but it seemed to be working.

Adam grumbled in his sleep, scrunched up his nose, and turned.

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing as she shook her head, reaching for her phone to check the time in the darkness. It was still a couple of hours before she'd have to get up and make sure the others were getting ready for school, but there was a message from Marx and she scrolled down with a frown as he admitted that his lead in the search he was conducting for Byron Moore hadn't been fruitful, but that he'd heard some "rumors" and was going to check in on them and see whether they led to anything.

She hadn't had any other dreams with Byron, but that didn't mean that she'd forgotten about him, not even with everything that was going on. She was going to find him, no matter what.

Sighing, Chloe sat up, staring at the background of her cellular, which was a picture of her and her father. "Hi, daddy." Running her finger over the image, Chloe took in a deep breath before frowning when she heard a noise downstairs.

Slipping out of the bed, Chloe tiptoed towards the door and exited her bedroom, listening for the sounds and hearing it below, around the living room. Considering that she had to fight with each and every one of the people living under this roof to get up every morning, the thought that it might be one of them was ridiculous, the blonde narrowing her eyes as she made her way down the stairs as silently as she could. She clenched her fists, magic visibly swirling around them like purple and black shadows, the blonde on the alert, her family having had too many attacks for her to allow herself to be caught unaware.

Before any of this had started, if Chloe had thought her house was being broken into, she'd have called the police, but the blonde didn't even consider that now as she rounded the corner, seeing a shadow moving in the darkness of the room. She narrowed her eyes, flipped on the light and flooded them with momentarily blinding light, her palm outstretched towards the intruder, eyes widening in shock when she saw who it was.

"_What are you doing here_?"

Van gave her a sheepish smile, closing the window he'd managed to wedge open and enter through. "I, uh, need to ask you something."

"And this couldn't wait until, I don't know, when we'd see each other in school in a couple of hours?" Chloe wanted to know, lowering her hands and giving a little sigh.

Van eyed her hands thoughtfully before he licked his lips and came forward. "Since werewolves exist – do _incub__i_?"

Completely floored by the question, Chloe leaned hard against the wall. "Come again?"

"I had the weirdest thing happen tonight – or I guess last night since it happened around eleven and it's what, five in the morning?"

"Three." She leveled him with a glare for that.

He didn't seem to notice it. "Thing is, Dawn came to see me and while I was trying to get away from her, she said something that I couldn't walk away from." He made a face. "She said that she didn't want to be with Brent and that she had moments of clarity where she was so disgusted, but then that something would come over her, like a haze, and while her mind kept screaming that she didn't want to do something – her body did it almost as if she had no control over herself." He took in a deep breath. "I would have probably just told her that that was the lamest excuse ever if I hadn't actually seen it happen." Van came closer. "Chloe, one minute she's trying to convince me about all this and that she needs help – and then the next she's smiling brightly, telling me how Brent was so wonderful and how she was so lucky he loved her, and then she walked away. _That's not normal_." He reached out and placed his hands on Chloe's shoulder. "I think Brent Greene is an Incubus who is using his sexual powers against Dawn. I think she's a victim."

Chloe stared up at Van with a frown before taking in a breath. "I don't think he's an Incubus, Van. If he was, _everyone_ would be attracted to him, even _you_."

Van made a face at the very thought. "Then what-?" His eyes widened. "Is he a werewolf too? Is this an animal magnetism thing? Does he think she's his mate and-?"

The girl reached up and covered his mouth with her hand. "I _doubt_ Brent's a werewolf." She took in a deep breath. "But what you're saying sounds... fishy." The blonde let her hand fall from Van's mouth. "I'll look into it."

Van stared down at her and smiled. "Thanks, I-" He took in a deep breath. "_Thanks_."

"If you wanna crash on the couch until morning, fine by me." Chloe motioned to said couch. "But as for _me__,_ I am going to go back and sleep. Okay?"

Van grinned. "Thanks, but I should probably be heading back to my own place."

"Fine, just be careful on the roads at this time in the morning." Chloe made to leave.

Van chuckled. "You've become a regular _mother_."

Pouting, Chloe flipped the lights off, walking away.

There was silence, and then Van's voice was soft as he asked, "What were the shadows around your hands earlier?"

Chloe froze, standing with her back to him.

Van cleared his throat. "That's not a werewolf thing, is it?"

"Van," Chloe took in a deep breath as she turned to him, "I'm _not_ a werewolf. I've told you this already."

He stood in the darkness watching her silently, licking his lips. "But you're not a normal human either, are you?"

She shook her head slowly.

Van eyed her in the darkness before slowly shaking his head. "Okay."

Her eyes widened. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Van nodded with a little shrug. "See you later in school, and sorry for breaking into your home and everything. I just didn't want to speak about this where we could be overheard."

He turned to leave.

"Van?" She took a step towards him, conflicted. "Is this really okay with you?"

"Not really." Van let out a little sigh as he turned to face her once more. "I was really psyched thinking you were a werewolf. I'm really disappointed right now."

Chloe heard a sound and it took her a second to realize she'd let out a little relieved bark of laughter. "You're _disappointed_?"

"Yeah." Van made a face. "Do you know how _cool_ werewolves are? And the thought that I knew a covert, teenaged werewolf pack – well – yeah. I felt like I was Stiles, you know, the only human in on the wolf secret?"

"Huh?" She was totally confused.

"You don't even watch Teen Wolf?" Van looked even more disappointed as he shook his head and reopened the window. "Shame on you, seriously."

"Aren't you going to ask what I am?" Chloe asked as he was about to climb out.

Van thought about it for a second before shaking his head. "Nah. No matter what it is, no way is it cooler than werewolf." And with that he climbed out and closed the window behind him, gone.

Chloe stared at the window, her magic locking it and making sure the others were locked as well, before she chuckled and shook her head, lips curling.

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Jason knew he should be paying more attention to what was happening on the field during the early morning practice. The boys were working hard so that they could carry their winning streak into tonight's game and Jason knew they deserved his complete attention, and yet he kept finding his gaze going towards the bleachers. He hadn't really seen her in two weeks, all of his attention divided between keeping an eye on the boys at school and keeping an eye on his parents at home. The only time he was able to see Chloe now was during PE, since he'd taken over PE from the burly Ms Leslie – who had surprised the whole school (and town) but not actually being a lesbian and getting knocked up, leaving her job the second she found out she was pregnant at the behest of her boyfriend, who could pass for a Calvin Klein model.

Even during the PE sessions though, Jason hadn't really had much interaction with Chloe other than a "hello", finding himself surrounded by teenaged boys asking questions on technique and teenaged girls asking if he'd found a girlfriend yet (and if he was looking for one). Chloe kept to herself, wasn't a star in PE and yet did well enough that she didn't need constant help, and other than that "hello" and an awkward smile if he caught her eye, she didn't talk to him and stayed her distance.

Jason knew that he was the one who'd said they should have some distance between them, but damn it, it was irritating him! Especially as he cast a glance back towards the bleachers, eyeing the girl and wondering what she was doing at the practice. She'd never come to watch before so why exactly was she here? Had something happened?

Oh, he hoped not. No one knew the details, especially since ever since the attack Chloe and her own had kept more to themselves than ever, but Jason knew for a fact that Chloe's mother had killed her father, and if the still healing scars on the blonde's shoulders had anything to say about it, Moira had tried killing Chloe as well. Coupled with the fact that Moira had mysteriously disappeared, everyone in Luthor Manor surmised that Moira had gone rogue, killed Gabe, tried to kill Chloe, and the blonde had had to kill her and dispose of the body.

All throughout the funeral, Jason had been unable to look from the pale girl with the dark circles under her haunted, empty eyes. He'd wanted to go to her, to say _something_, but he'd held back because Lex was right. No matter how cold and heartless it seemed to pull away during this time, it was the best for both Chloe and themselves and for now, they'd have to keep their distance. Two weeks might have passed without anything from their parents, but the younger generation knew that Lionel and his group were planning something. They just needed to figure out what it was.

"Okay! That's a wrap!" Jason called to the boys. "Come on back!"

"Good morning."

Jason jumped, eyes wide as he turned to see that Chloe had made her way from the bleachers to his side, staring at the players. "_Hey_." He cleared his throat. "H-how are you? I, uh, I wanted to, but, you know-"

"Don't worry, I get it." She sent him a sad little smile, looking away, before an odd glint appeared in her eyes as her smile changed. "See you later, Coach." With that, and a little wave to Whitney (who'd just noticed her), Chloe beelined to someone Jason wouldn't have expected, stopping in front of Brent Greene (who'd returned from his suspension) of all people, her back to Jason so he couldn't see her face.

Brent's eyes widened in surprise before grinning, obviously trying to be a Casanova.

Chloe was probably about to smack him any second now for whatever it is that he'd done that'd made her-

Jason's eyes widened as Chloe drew closer, running her fingers over Brent's chest.

Brent's grin became a leer as he moved even closer, straightening her shirt just to get an excuse to touch her.

Jason reached out and grabbed Whitney, who'd been staring at the two in confused horror, yanking the boy towards him as he glared at the two flirting teenagers. "Explain. Now."

"Coach, I am right there with you on this whole thing." Whitney seemed genuinely confused and a bit disgusted, unable to take his gaze off of them, much like Jason. "I don't have a _clue_ what's going on here." He shook her head. "She texted me asking if we were going to be practicing in the morning since the game's tonight, and I said yes. That's all I know."

Chloe reached out to brush Brent's hair from his face, her touch lingering as she leaned closely to whisper something.

Brent's leer was salacious as he nodded, mouthing: "Fuck yeah!"

With that, Chloe backed away, waving at the boy before turning around and grinning broadly as she sauntered away, not even giving Jason or Whitney another look.

Jason's grip on Whitney's shoulder-pads tightened as he watched her go, a muscle jumping in his cheek as his hazels (now greener) turned to where Brent and his friends were high-fiving each other, walking passed them.

"Seriously?" One sniggered. "Chloe Sullivan wants you to stay behind after school so you two can have an... interview?"

"She was so hot for my jock, it was awesome!" Brent grinned brightly. "I always knew that beneath that tough, rigid exterior, she was feisty pussy waiting to be stroked by the right person."

"Are you going to bang her in the Luthor Torch offices?" The other friend asked, eyes wide. "And what about Dawn?"

"What about her? She'll stay with me no matter _what_ I do – or _who_ I do." Brent grinned as he passed Jason and Whitney, heading towards the school. "And I'm going to do Chloe Sullivan."

The _hell_ he was.

"Yeah, Coach." Whitney cleared his throat, eyes narrowed on Brent's back. "_Still_ right there with you."

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Cassie Blake hated moving, hated being the new girl, hated being the topic of conversation, but at least this time she wasn't the only one. Diana, Mikhail, Lucas and Faye were all new to Luthor Academy and Smallville and got just as much gossip spread about them as she did. They were all in her grade as well, which meant that Cassie really shouldn't have felt as alone as she did, but she did.

Diana – Cassie couldn't even look at the girl who'd once been her best friend, without wanting to scratch her eyeballs out and yank at her hair. It pained her how their friendship had deteriorated so spectacularly, but that was just how it was and she figured that they would never be like they'd been in Chance Harbor before everything went to hell.

Faye – Cassie didn't know why the hell she was here in the first place and she couldn't get _why_ Mrs Chamberlain would just allow Faye to move away like that, to transfer to another school in the middle of the school year, and was so okay with it, she sent Chloe money to pay for Faye's expenses. Whatever. At least ever since she'd moved in, Faye hadn't been as conflictive with Cassie as she'd always been before, the girl actually having caught the brunette watching her with a disturbed expression a couple of times. To be truthful, Cassie didn't care whatever it was that had Faye backed off her case, as long as she stopped picking arguments all the time, the blonde was fine with the new dynamic to their interactions.

Mikhail – Cassie had no doubt that if Mikhail could have his way, Diana and she would be dead and buried. He wasn't openly hostile – most of the time – but he and Lucas stayed apart on their own, and he didn't interact with her or Diana more than he had to. He traded flirtations with Faye, but neither of them seemed truly that interested, and the only one Mikhail truly seemed to confide in was Lucas. And yet the only one Cassie felt like Mikhail truly tried to appease, was Chloe, even though Cassie doubted Mikhail even realized what he was doing.

Lucas – Cassie didn't know what to think about him. He flirted with every girl in the house, was a smart-mouth with Mikhail, Greg and Whitney (the last two basically spent every waking moment at the house) and yet he too remained apart from the others. He'd disappear sometimes for hours to Edge City where apparently Mikhail and he had a warehouse and _minions_ waiting on their every word.

Chloe...

Cassie sighed.

She had so many conflicting feelings about her eldest sibling! There'd been interest because of the shared dreams – resentment and wariness due to her magic – and resentment because Diana had chosen her instead of Cassie. At one point, she'd gotten very close to hating the other girl, and yet here she was, living with Chloe under her roof and going to school with her. Cassie hadn't even fought when Chloe had told her she was moving in and Cassie wasn't the type of person to just do what she was told. And yet she had.

The petite blonde leaned against the wall, deep in thought, ignoring the students passing in front of her.

She'd been in a murderous rage – she'd felt _righteous anger _– and she still felt sometimes like she needed to find Charles and kill him... but she'd lose what she had now if she did that, and it always stopped her impulse. The girl knew she wasn't living a Brady Bunch movie and every single person living under Chloe's house had a beef with the other person there. They always somehow rubbed each other the wrong way and yet, other than some arguments, there hadn't been any major friction. Why? Because despite everything, Chloe had offered them something they all had needed desperately – whether they'd wanted to admit it or not – whether they'd _realized_ it or not.

Security.

Stability.

Family.

_Home_.

And Cassie knew that it could not be easy on Chloe, who was constantly refereeing between everyone, making sure they were doing their best academically – trying to be a soccer mom to kids who were only approximately a year younger than her. Chloe really had no reason to do what she was doing. She could have just allowed her uncle to take her away with the excuse that she really hadn't had a choice – but instead she'd taken in a bunch of _strangers_ with issues the size of Mount Rushmore. And Cassie – she couldn't help but respect that.

Almost as if she'd known she was being thought about, Chloe appeared through the throng, laughing at something Greg was telling her, the two of them walking the halls together and ignoring everyone else around them.

Whitney and Greg were almost always around, both at home and in school, the two the only official members of Chloe's Circle. One was her Hand and the other was just as useful as a TouchSight. They shared a relationship with Chloe that Cassie knew she wasn't the only one who envied. Chloe wasn't forced to take care of Whitney and Greg, to be with them, family and responsibility didn't have her reaching out and playing with Greg's hair affectionately. No. She was with them because she wanted to. Nothing else.

Chloe's gaze fell on Cassie and she hesitated for a second before smiling and giving a little wave.

Cassie flinched, standing straighter, giving a little wave back, annoyed that she'd been caught staring, deep in thought.

Chloe and Greg made a beeline towards Cassie, the oldest Balcoin eyeing her curiously. "You okay, Cass?"

Cass. It was weird hearing a pet name like that.

"Yeah, just getting to my next class." Cassie made a little face. "I hate Geography."

"Well, it's the last class for the day so at least there's a silver lining!" Chloe placed her hand on Cassie's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze, obviously trying for comforting. "Before I forget – I have to stay back late so I've asked Whitney to take you, Diana and Faye home before he goes to get ready for the game. Lucas and Mikhail are going to be going to Edge City for a couple of hours so you girls will have the house all to yourselves."

Cassie almost didn't hear, concentrating on the feel of cooling, calming magic that seemed to seep out of Chloe into her every time they touched. It was obvious that the girl didn't feel it, didn't realize what was going on, but there was some definitely strong mojo at work in her body and whenever she touched one of them, especially her family, Cassie had been able to see the way that their features relaxed and their tension, anger, resentment melted away into contentedness.

The girl had always thought that Balcoins were pure evil and the thought of Chloe having so much dark magic in her had made her wary, sure that Chloe would end up being the next Francis Balcoin – and yet Chloe's touch was healing. Sometimes Cassie just wanted to reach out and find an excuse to touch her so she could feel it again – the feeling of not being alone and terrified and hurt and scared and so sad. With each little touch, Cassie could feel herself healing, could feel herself slowly becoming the Cassie she'd been while her mother was alive – the Cassie she'd been when she could actually _stand_ herself.

And by the gods – she wanted to be that Cassie again!

"I'll stay behind and help." Cassie gave Chloe a little awkward smile when she realized that she was waiting on some sort of answer. "Are you doing something for the Luthor Torch?"

"Well, I have an... interview... to do and I also promised Mrs Harmon I'd do another piece on the progress of the play." Chloe made a face. "She especially wants pictures with the leads and seriously wants promotion for the play since it'll be the first one we've ever thrown."

"Why don't I stay behind and do the part on the play so you can just concentrate on this interview?" Cassie jumped at the idea, not wanting to be stuck in Whitney's truck and then at the house with Diana and Faye if Chloe wasn't around to keep at bay the awkward silence. "You can meet me by the auditorium after you're done. I can give you what I got and we can go back home."

Chloe's eyes widened as she grinned, the healing, cooling, _refreshing_ feeling growing stronger. "You'd do that?"

"Sure." Cassie managed a real smile as she nodded.

Chloe grinned. "That would be great. Thanks, Cass."

After John's death, Cassie had childishly clung to Diana, terrified at being completely alone, had begged her to stay, and Diana had left. And yet this girl, who'd been a near _stranger_ with whom Cassie hadn't had any sort of friendship with (whom Cassie had tried to seriously injure not two seconds earlier), had pulled Cassie close while she'd been in her darkest place, had held on tightly and hadn't given Cassie a choice to be alone. She'd claimed Cassie as kin and told her the words she'd _so desperately_ needed to hear from someone: You're not alone. You have me.

Cassie's smile grew slightly as her blues met Chloe's greens, realizing no matter how awkward and uncomfortable the house could be when Chloe wasn't around, moments like this made it worthwhile.

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Chloe wasn't exactly sure how to do this. She'd promised Van she was going to get information out of Brent, and while she figured the Enthrallment would be the best way to it, she was a little wary about using it on him because she wasn't exactly sure what he was. He could be a witch. He could be a Dabbler. He could even _be_ an Incubus for all she knew (despite the fact that she _seriously_ doubted it because he didn't attract her in the least bit). Hell. Maybe Van was right and Brent was a damned werewolf with "animal magnetism". The fact was that Chloe didn't know what he was or how he was doing whatever he was doing (if he was doing anything at all – Dawn could be messing with Van's head!).

There was a knock on the door.

Chloe quickly positioned herself provocatively, leaning against the table. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Jason Teague, who froze in the doorway when he saw how she was positioned.

The blonde sighed, disappointed and a little embarrassed, straightening once more. "Whitney's not here. He's taking Diana and Faye home and he'll be back in time to get on the bus. Don't worry."

"No, I, uh." Jason cleared his throat. "I wanted to – talk – to you for a second."

"Does it have to be right now?" She wanted to talk to Jason, but this was important, and she'd promised Van.

"Oh, uh, do you have something else you need to do?" he asked oddly.

"Coach!" Brent grinned behind him. "What's up?"

Jason pulled away to look behind him at the guy. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the game?"

"Will do Coach, just, uh-" His gaze went to Chloe, who'd repositioned herself leaning seductively against the table. "Going to have a lil – something. You know what I mean." He patted Jason's arm as he shouldered passed him into the room, grinning at Chloe. "I'm here for my close-up."

"Well I-" Jason started.

"We'll continue this talk tomorrow, Coach." Chloe smiled at him before turning her gaze on Brent. "Hey."

"Hi." He grinned.

Jason just stared between them before he closed the door none too gently.

"Sit." Chloe ignored the way her stomach flopped nauseatingly at the realization that Jason thought she'd totally blown him off for Brent Greene of all people, but this was important and she wasn't about to get out of character.

Brent shook his finger into her face as he drew nearer, reaching around her and pulling her close into him. "We both know why I'm here."

Chloe stared up into his face before reaching up and pressing her lips to his. As his grip on her tightened, his lips moving against hers, Chloe purposely tried pushing the Enthrallment inside of him, feeling the magic slowly sliding up the inside of her throat as she kissed Brent, yanking him close, opening her mouth to his kiss. The magic slithered from her lips into his, sliding its way down his throat, and while Chloe would usually stop there, she pressed on because she didn't know what he was or how much she'd need for it to take hold. It was only when he cupped her butt and squeezed hard that she gasped and pulled away, pushing him from her as she escaped his hold, wiping at her mouth.

Brent turned towards her, a tail of pink magic disappearing into his mouth as he smiled happily at her. "I love you so much."

"_Oh thank god_." She let out a breath of relief that it'd actually worked this time, the blonde collapsing onto her seat.

Brent fell to his knees and grabbed her hand, kissing it fervently.

Chloe made a face at him. "Uh, Brent?"

"Yes, my hottest of hot babes?" he whispered against her hand.

Chloe pulled her hand free. "About Dawn-"

"I don't love her!" Brent assured her. "And now that I have you, I'm going to let her go or just give her away to someone else because I don't need anyone but you."

"Give her to someone else?"

"When I mistakenly thought I wanted her – which I don't anymore, you're all I see – I told my grandfather and he shared the secret of how he got grandmother." Brent pressed kisses against her fingertips. "I thought it was stupid, you know? But I got desperate and tried it and it worked! I was going to make a business of it; get the guys who couldn't get girls any girl they wanted – it was why we were setting the cameras up so the guys could choose their girl."

Chloe pulled her hand away from him, disgusted.

"But I want you! Only you!" Brent was reading her all wrong, desperate.

"Whatever you've done to Dawn, _stop it_. Free her," Chloe hissed, standing.

"Of course, because I love you," Brent whispered, hurrying to the door. "I'll prove to you just how much I love you! Come to the game tonight and I'll prove it in front of the whole world!"

And with that, he was gone.

Chloe leaned against the table, taking in a deep breath, realizing she'd forgotten to ask him exactly what he'd done to Dawn but figured that she could find out later. The Enthrallment would probably last for a couple of days so she'd be able to get more out of Brent tomorrow.

If only she'd realized what a headache she could have saved herself from had she gone after Brent that very second...

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**TBC**


	64. After Party From Hell

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Despite the fact that Chloe tried to go to the games for Whitney's sake, Brent's comment about proving how much he loved her had her deciding to miss it that night because the thought of him declaring his love or something in front of everyone was horrifying. Also, she had more important things she needed to do right now, like check up on Marx and see if he'd found out anything about Byron (no, he hadn't) and continue searching on a way to remove the spell from Adam.

She closed the Balcoin book of spells (which turned into its much smaller version) and went downstairs because it'd been too quiet for her liking. She knew that things were far from sunshine and rainbows at home and preferred to be around the girls in case something happened.

That was why Chloe was seated in the living room on the lazy boy, the book (back to its monstrous size when opened) lying on her lap as she read on.

Faye and Diana were watching some show about witches (both of them criticizing the magic and the witches in general) and Cassie sat silently in the corner listening to music and looking at a magazine that proclaimed that Angelina and Brad were thinking of being surrogates for the child Jen wanted to have so badly and yet couldn't.

Chloe's phone buzzed and she reached for it idly, tapping on the screen and eyeing the message from Whitney, which was quite cryptic: **The Hell?**

Before Chloe could write back and ask him what he was talking about, there was a knock on the door.

Closing the book (which minimized), Chloe hid it under a pillow as she went to the door, staring out through the peephole, eyes widening when she opened it. "Hi-"

Dawn Stiles, face completely messed from her runny makeup, cried as she threw herself at Chloe, hugging her tightly. "_Thank you! Thank you!_"

Chloe's eyes widened as she stared at a pale Van. "Um, you're welcome?"

"The things I did – he made me do – and I couldn't stop it!" Dawn cried, her whole body shaking, her words so emotional, they were almost hard to make out. "_Thank you!_ I don't know how you did it – but he said he was freeing me because of you and – _thankyousomuch_!"

"Come inside, we can talk better here." Chloe was grateful when Van entered and managed to take Dawn from her, the teens heading into the living room where Diana and Faye had turned off the television and even Cassie was paying attention, eyes narrowed.

Locking the door behind them, Chloe went to the living room and sat down, eyeing the teens. "What exactly _is it_ that Brent did to you?"

"I don't _know_." Dawn seemed the complete opposite of her usually Barbie-perfect self, instead seeming unkempt, barely able to hold onto her emotions, sticking next to Van so closely, it was as if she was scared to leave his side. "All I know is that one day I woke up and I couldn't control my body or my voice or anything. I did things – said things – let _him_ do things..." Tears filled her eyes as her voice caught. "I was so scared I'd never – that I'd always-" She then turned to Van, crying into his shirt as he held her protectively.

"I don't understand what's going on here." Diana looked worried and confused.

"I thought we weren't talking to Peroxide Barbie." Faye raised an eyebrow, pointing towards the crying girl in question.

"Brent Greene's been controlling her. We don't know how." Chloe took in a deep breath, leaning hard against her seat. "I should have gotten everything out of him today. I'll get it from him tomorrow. As soon as I know exactly what he's done, I'll have a better idea of how to stop him from doing it again."

"Your... interview." Cassie had figured things out quickly.

Chloe nodded, ignoring the way her phone beeped over and over again with incoming text messages.

Cassie eyed Dawn and Van before turning her blues on Chloe thoughtfully.

Diana received a text and frowned, excusing herself as she got up and left the room.

Faye eyed the brunette before coming closer to Dawn. "So you're saying this whole time you've been exchanging saliva with that guy against your will?"

Dawn shivered at the thought, nodding. "Have you _seen_ him? He's a fashion disaster, a _total_ douchebag – I never wanted anything to do with him and then I didn't have a choice and – _thank you__,__ Chloe_."

Chloe was really very uncomfortable with all the thank-yous, the crying, and the utter un-Dawness of the way the girl was reacting. It just went to prove that this whole thing had been traumatizing for the usually snobby, unlikable girl. And it was understandable – especially since Brent had insinuated that he'd been sleeping with Dawn. If so, that was rape, because even if her body and mouth had said she was willing, the girl's mind would have been screaming against it.

She started feeling sick at the thought that she'd had to kiss that sicko.

"Um, guys?" Diana entered the room once more. "Sorry to interrupt, but Chloe, you need to see this."

Chloe stood, eyes narrowed as she moved towards Diana, eyeing the phone in her hands. "What is it?"

Diana didn't answer, merely started playing a file that'd been sent to her by Whitney.

Chloe's eyes widened as she watched the after-party of the Crows' victory. Everyone was fighting each other, everything completely chaotic and in the middle of the mayhem, Brent Greene stood, smiling vindictively. "The hell?" She then realized she'd verbalized Whitney's text from before, reaching for her jacket, she pulled it on, turning to Van and Dawn. "You two stay here." Her gaze went to Cassie (who'd stood also) and Diana. "You two stay with them." Her gaze then went to Faye. "You, with me."

"Yay." Faye said, voice monotone, single dimple going deep as she grabbed her own jacket and pulled it on, giving Diana and Cassie a smirk. "You two take care of the house while we're out."

"Let's not get cheeky." Chloe motioned for Faye to go on ahead of her before turning to Cassie and Diana, who were coming closer, both obviously not pleased with being left behind while Faye got to join. "As long as I'm not sure what's going on, I want the both of you here."

"So what, you don't trust us to have your back but you trust _Faye_?" Cassie made a face. "She's not even a Balcoin!"

"That's why she's coming," Chloe responded, not about to argue about this. "You two stay here. That's it. I'm not going to have this discussion with you." She turned to leave.

"But Chlo, I'm your _Eye_." Diana stepped forwards. "I should be there."

"Oh, so because you're her _Eye__,_ you're more important and have a greater significance than me? You have more of a _right_ to be there?" Cassie snapped at Diana. "Because, let's face it, I'm stronger than you are, Eye or not."

"Maybe you're just more _homicidal_ than I am," Diana snapped back.

"Stop it!" Chloe snapped at the both of them. "_This_ is why I'm not taking _either_ of you. I can't concentrate on what's going on if I'm worrying about the two of you. So help me out and stay here." Shaking her head, Chloe sighed as she stormed away, grabbing her keys as she left the house and slammed the door behind her, throwing the keys to Faye who was leaning against the car. "You're driving. That party was being held at the school."

Catching the keys, Faye grinned mischievously. "Better buckle up then."

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"So, when is she coming back here?" Brendan wanted to know, arms folded over his chest.

"What?" Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "My word isn't enough for you?"

Trent stepped forward. "No."

"Careful." Lucas stepped towards Trent. "You seem to forget who you're talking to."

"Not the Firstborn, that's for sure." Trent glared, never having been one to be afraid to speak what was on his mind. "I know I speak for _everyone_ here when I say that I swore loyalty to _John Balcoin_ and if I continue on this side, I'm going to do so working under the Firstborn, not under Mikhail."

"I agree." Brendan's voice echoed with the others, who confirmed this. "I don't get why she hasn't come here herself. She's taken over the Balcoin clan, she's even got you two living with her. So why hasn't she come to instruct us, to at least _address_ us?"

"Makes us think you don't want her to," one of the others called out.

"Yeah," another declared. "Seems like you're trying to keep the Firstborn all to yourselves."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lucas snapped at them. "Things have just been busy. The last sibling is being searched for and-"

"And why are _you_ so special that you get to _live_ with them?" Brendan wanted to know. "Because you're a Luthor? That makes you better than us? Makes you think you can keep her all to yourself?"

"_Jesus_." Lucas shook his head. "We're all on the same team. This isn't a conspiracy! She's just really busy-"

"Then make her make time," Trent growled, stepping forwards.

Mikhail sneered, shaking his head. "You want me to _tell_ her what to do?" His smile was ugly, his hands folded over his chest. "She's the _Firstborn_. I don't _tell_ her anything." He shook his head once more. "But I'll _inform_ her of your desires once I get home. If she comes here or not will be _her_ decision."

"That's not good enough," Trent declared. "When you go back, we'll be coming along with you and we will give the Firstborn our message ourselves."

"You see, we don't trust you'll actually give her the message," Brendan agreed.

"You-!" Lucas snarled.

Mikhail raised his hand, silencing Lucas. "Fine."

"_What_?" Lucas snapped at him.

"Let them both come." Mikhail sneered at the two. "They're like scared children who need reassurance so let's give it to them. We have nothing to hide." He motioned with his head as he turned. "Let's go."

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The school was experiencing an all-out war.

Faye blinked as she eyed the teenagers (and teachers) battling the _hell_ out of each other. The ones who weren't battling were, uh, fornicating. In public. "You guys sure take celebrating your football wins seriously."

Chloe rolled her eyes, trying to look for Whitney amidst the chaos. And then she found him, half naked on the floor with three cheerleaders. She blinked, a blush forming on her cheeks as she saw more of her Hand than she'd ever expected to, the blonde looking away, clearing her throat. How exactly was she going to be able to look him in the face ever again after having seen him in nothing but boxers?

"The manwhore." Faye rolled her eyes, having found him and seeming far from embarrassed.

"I'm going to find Brent." Chloe took in a deep breath, looking around her, refusing to even look in Whitney's general direction because she couldn't be too sure how long the boxers would stay on. "For him to be affecting such a big group of people, he has to be using some sort of anchor; a sigil or totem or something."

"So we're thinking he's a witch?" Faye wanted to know curiously.

"Or a Dabbler." Chloe reached out and grabbed Faye, pulling her back when two fighting teens brushed past them, having nearly barreled into the brunette. "Just, be careful, okay?"

"Sure." Lips pursed, Faye eyed all around her before diving into the crowd and disappearing.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe dove in herself, moving through the throng, doing her best to ignore the sexual going-ons all around her and side-step the fighting. She kept getting shoved back and forth in the crowd and in the end, erected her shield, ignoring the fighting bodies that slammed into it only to be pushed away by the magic. The good thing about what was going on was that no one was even noticing her or her use of magic, all either making out or fighting.

Being short didn't help, the blonde unable to see anything amidst the bodies of taller people. She lost her temper and made her way to one of the tables and climbed onto it, staring at the throng below, trying to find Brent, her shield dropping as she gazed around her.

"It's somewhat beautiful, isn't it?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Chloe turned her head to see an older guy standing there, hands folded over his chest as he watched everything with a slight grin. "You have a warped view of _beautiful__,_ Mister."

He chuckled, turning his gaze on her. "I suppose I do."

Something about this guy made her wary; Chloe looked away and returned to her search for Brent.

"I heard you're looking for your brother Byron."

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned to look at the guy once more. "You know where he is?"

He gave a little half nod.

"Where?" She moved closer.

"What will you give me for this information?" he asked, gaze sharp. "Balcoin Firstborn."

Chloe looked around her a little nervously before jumping off of the table, a little unnerved to be face to face with him now and yet she stood strong. "What are you asking for?"

"How about what's rightfully mine?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What has been denied to me all these years? Centuries? _Lifetimes?_"

Chloe blinked, wariness growing as she fought not to take a step back. "Who are you?"

Fury flashed through his stormy orbs as he took a menacing step towards her. "And there's the kicker. You _still_ have no idea. Do you understand how much that _infuriates_ me?"

"Look, do you want something in exchange for the information about my brother or are you just going to spew about some wrong someone did to you?" She licked her lips, refusing to show that she was intimidated by this guy. "Because if you're here just to vent then I have more important things to do than to just stand here and listen to-"

He reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her towards him, sneering. "You're still so _mouthy__,_ Chloe. I had wondered if you'd have lost that by now." His smile showed teeth. "I'm glad you haven't." He reached out and caressed her hair, brushing it out of her face. "It'll make this _much_ more fun." She tried yanking her arm free and yet his grip tightened as he pulled her closer, his free hand trailing down her face before grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "Your brother, Byron Moore, is being kept by a man named Morgan Edge. He's a Metropolis crime lord and dear old friend of Lionel Luthor." And with that, he let go of her, hands in the air as he backed away.

Chloe frowned after him. "You never named your price for that information."

"I did." He continued backing away. "I'll collect on it later on."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Chloe called after him. "Who are you?"

He smirked before turning around and waving, walking away.

Chloe looked away, a muscle jumping in her cheek, a cold chill running down her spine.

"Pete says 'hi' by the way."

Chloe's eyes widened and she turned to look back at the guy, but he was gone.

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The place was damned _hot_ with all these bodies and activity, Faye pausing in her search for the source of the madness to grab a plastic cup and fill it with some of the punch. She brought the it to her mouth and sipped the drink while she continued her search, downing the drink quickly in her thirst and filling it once more as she continued looking for some sort of sigil on the walls or floor, or some sort of doll or totem or _something_ that could be used to keep this spell (if it really was a spell) anchored to this place.

Faye fanned herself. It was getting hot in here.

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"You came. I knew you would. It's the investigative reporter in you who wouldn't let something like this happen without you investigating it."

Chloe turned to see Brent Greene standing to her right, his hands in his letterman jacket. "What are you doing? _Why_ are you doing this?"

"You didn't come to the game," Brent replied as if this should explain it all. "I told you I'd prove my love to you at the game, I told you to come, and yet you didn't. You weren't there."

"And so the best thing you could come up with was _this_?" Chloe threw her hands out. "_How_ is this a way to prove your love?"

"It isn't. You didn't come. Either you don't love me as much as I love you – or you need more convincing about the sincerity of my feelings for you." He came closer. "By the time we leave this place, you'll love me as desperately as I love you."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "How are you doing this?"

"It's all out of my love for you." He reached out his hand towards her. "Take my hand, Chloe. Love me, adore me, like I do you."

The girl just wanted to smack him, but she forced a smile as she placed her hand in his, figuring she could catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. "This, uh, no one's ever done something like this for me."

"And no one ever will," he swore, reaching out to caress her face. "I love you so much."

"And I... love you too." Chloe somehow managed to say the words with a smile. "I'm – impressed." She curled herself around Brent's arm. "How exactly have you managed to do all this? You're so powerful."

He grinned. "Women love a mysterious man. I don't think I'll tell you yet."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe snapped. "Oh, screw this." Pushing away from Brent, Chloe pointed her palm towards him, raising him high into the air, slamming his back up against the ceiling of the roof. "If you don't tell me how the _hell_ you're doing this, and how to end it, I'll let you fall _so hard__,_ the only thing that'll remain for the janitor to clean up will be-"

"You wouldn't hurt me," Brent interrupted her. "You're-"

Chloe let her power on him disappear, the boy screaming as he fell through the air, her power only activating seconds before he hit the floor, levitating him an inch or so above the tile. She threw her hand back up, Brent's body returning to hit the ceiling. "Last chance, Greene."

"I'll tell you!" he swore. "But only because you're so damned _hot_ when you're threatening me!"

Faye stumbled into Chloe, face red, shirt half-undone. "It's the _drink_." She fanned herself, breathing in and out as if it were a chore, her pupils blown, almost as if she were high. "I don't know what's in the drink, but ever since – I just want to _hurt_ someone _badly_."

"What's in the drink?" Chloe's eyes narrowed on Brent.

"Nothing is in the drink. That's the best part of it!" He was laughing.

"Can I hurt him?" Faye begged as she began to scratch at her arms.

Chloe placed her hand on Faye's shoulder, trying to calm the girl while keeping an eye on Brent. "I'm getting annoyed now. Only kids play games and I'm not interested in kids."

His laughter stopped, his glare murderous. "You think _Coach_ is man enough for you then? Is that it?" He sneered. "Don't think I didn't realize he was trying to steal _my girl_ from right under my nose!" His smile was ugly. "It's why he's going to pay – to send a clear message to _everyone_ that they need to stay clear of the woman I love!"

Chloe's eyes widened. "What have you done to him?"

"She needed a sacrifice for her favors and he was the perfect person to offer up." Brent sneered. "Most of the men here will be sacrificed, but Coach Teague will be Qandisa's special prize, the _special_ offering for your eternal love."

Fear filled Chloe's body. "Qandisa?"

"The hell is that?" Faye groaned, holding her stomach, seeming in pain.

"A Moroccan demon/goddess of love, sex and warfare. She drove men to literal insanity before devouring them." Chloe looked around her, everything making more sense, the blonde relieved that she'd been spending so much time reading the damned book of spells. "It's not the drinks itself, Faye, it's something that would have touched the drink, like a mixing spoon or even a goblet. Qandisa's element is water. Our bodies are 80 percent water so when the infected liquid enters our bodies, it infects us as a whole and is almost impossible to get rid of unless a certain ritual is performed."

"My hot little sphinx, your beauty is only rivaled by your brains!" Brent reached into his pocket and pulled out an ancient looking spoon. "We were totally meant to be together!"

"Oh _snuff_ it." She'd totally lost all patience with the guy, her eyes on Faye, who was visibly in pain yet fighting the effects. "Qandisa's element is water so she'd be expecting her special sacrifice to be in her element – the _pool_." Her eyes widened. "Get to the pool. That's got to be where he has Jason. Bring him here and close the doors. I'm going to have to find a way to detox _you all_ before she arrives."

Faye nodded, disappearing through the throng.

Chloe kept her hand palm-up at Brent, eyes narrowed as she began closing her fist slowly, the guy above choking. "Tell me how to reverse everything, Brent."

"No." He shook his head. "You don't love me as much as I love you."

"Because you won't tell me what I want," she tried.

"No." He was adamant in this. "I will make you love me!"

Chloe was just about to tell Brent he had ten seconds to tell her the truth before she just let him fall and figure this all on her own (a total bluff but, hey, she was out of options) when the blonde was twirled around and pulled into a naked body, Whitney's lips down on hers, one of his hands around her waist and the other behind her head, holding close as he kissed her deeply. Shock filled Chloe's body, her eyes widening as he pulled her closer and she could _feel _– oh dear god! She was never going to be able to look Whitney in the face again! Like! Ever!

Whitney kissed her deeper, Chloe tightening her hands into fists at her side as she had a mini breakdown.

And then he nibbled on her bottom lip and Chloe's eyes widened as a gasp escaped her lips, her magic faltering as her Enthrallment activated, rising up her throat towards his lips just as Brent yelled and came crashing down onto the table.

The shock and the sound caused Chloe to pull away just before the pink mist could escape her lips, the girl's eyes lowering involuntarily to make sure that, yeah, Whitney _didn't_ have his boxers on anymore, before turning her back on him, face red. "Whitney Fordman! I'm going to _kill_ you!" Only then did she truly realize that her magic had let Brent fall onto the (now broken) table, and the boy lay motionless in the heap. "Oh crap!" Hurrying towards him, Chloe bent on her knees and checked for a pulse, letting out a relieved sigh when she found a steady one. "He's alive-" She turned to tell Whitney this, but came face to face with his junk. She turned away, blushing scarlet once more as she brought her hands to her eyes and covered them in utter embarrassment. "Put on some _boxers_ at least! I don't _care_ if you're under some sort of a spell at the moment – you keep your clothes on! Especially when around me! Or my face!"

There was no answer and by the time the blonde had gathered the courage to pull her hands from her face and look behind her, Whitney and his package were gone.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Chloe sent a glare in an unconscious Brent's direction. "I seriously hate you."

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**TBC**


	65. Overcoming

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Faye could feel the magic acting inside of her, voices whispering, a desire, an impulse trying to surge forward and take control. She fought over the control, fought to remain in the driver's seat as she stumbled out of the abandoned hallway into the large room with the skylight and the Olympic sized pool. The room was dark and she couldn't find the light switch, so she was forced to narrow her eyes and use the light from the moon above to try and scan the large room. At first there was no sign of Jason Teague, Coach and hottest PE teacher _ever_, but then she noticed something in the water and hurried towards the edge of the pool.

There, floating on his back in the middle of the pool, was Jason Teague, with what seemed like blood gushing from his head. Faye looked left and right but realized that there was no way she'd be able to reach for him from the sides of the pool. The girl groaned at the thought of getting her clothes wet and chlorine in her hair. And if that was really blood then wouldn't that mess up her clothes? The guy was not _that_ hot! And yet she kicked off her shoes and jacket before she dove into the water, swimming towards the guy.

Reaching his side, Faye hissed at the gash on the back of his head. Brent must have bashed him over the head with something sharp while the guy had his back to him, which made sense because Brent just looked like the cowardly type of guy to do that, and otherwise Jason would have been able to use his magic to protect himself. Faye shook her head as she swam them back to the shallow end and somehow dragged him out of the pool and onto the ground, groaning as she lowered him and felt for a pulse. There was a weak one, but one that was there nonetheless.

"Now I have to drag your butt back." Faye groaned, not at all feeling up to this. "Great. Just great."

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People were starting to try and leave the room and that just wouldn't do.

It took all of Chloe's attention to reach out and magically pull people back into the building while flinging the tables up against the windows to block them and hold them in place. She'd knocked over ever single one of the punch holders, got in the middle of some of the worst fights (knocking the people out) and tried to stay clear of those who were definitely more lovers than fighters. She couldn't see Whitney anywhere though and was worried about that because he might have slipped out while she was busy doing things. That meant he was out there by himself, probably naked, and easy prey for Qandisa when she arrived.

She was growing a little tired from the constant use of magic and yet pushed away the slight fatigue as she swung her hands apart from each other, sending Mrs Harmon and Mrs Tran flying apart and sitting them both down on seats on the opposite side of the room.

Finally the doors swung open and Faye arrived, dragging an unconscious Jason with her, collapsing in tiredness as they finally reached inside.

Chloe's eyes widened and she hurried towards them. "He's bleeding!"

"Looks like he got conked on the back of the head with something sharp." Faye whimpered, holding onto her sides tightly, face pale. "Chloe, I don't think I can hold onto this any longer. The force I used to get him here-"

"Why didn't you levitate him back?" Chloe asked in confusion, having expected the brunette to do that.

Faye looked at her with wide eyes before cursing, laying back down on the ground. "You've _got_ to be joking! Why didn't I think about that?"

"Doesn't matter." Chloe's palm moved to the doors which closed and dead-bolted now that they were inside. "It's going to get hot in here."

"It already _is_ hot in here." Faye groaned, body twitching, voice pained.

"It's about to get hotter." Chloe took in a deep breath. "You need to sweat out the liquid in your body." She stood with her hands to her sides, palms pointing outwards as she closed her eyes, beginning the spell she'd learnt while under Nell Potter's tutelage and yet hadn't ever had a chance to use – and would now be magnifying the intended effects to a hundred fold. "_Flameless fire, grant me heat_." She took in a deep breath, whispering the chant softly as she could feel her Hibbins magic buzzing under her skin, rippling around her as around them, the air started to grow hotter and hotter.

Those who were still fighting or… otherwise… soon stopped their activities, more tired with the heat as they began fanning themselves, their bodies beginning to glisten with the sweat that was forming. Those who weren't already naked began to pull at their clothes, some hurrying to the punch bowl and howling when they found the punch completely gone.

The plants inside began to slowly wither.

"_Hottttttttt!_" Faye complained.

This was going to take forever this way and Chloe could feel time was running out. Also, she still couldn't see Whitney anymore and was terrified that he was out there somewhere.

"Sorry, guys," Chloe whispered before she let her Balcoin magic begin to seep through as well, and the warmth intensified as if they were inside a raging inferno. People's skins were red from the heat as they collapsed to the ground, and yet they weren't burning, merely suffering from the intense warmth as they sweat crazily, all lifeless in the scalding heat, a couple of them twitching on the ground... which was beginning to gleam with a thin coat of water.

Closing her eyes tightly, finding it harder to breathe since the oxygen was being consumed, Chloe felt her eyes shift as she finally let the Balcoin magic completely loose, the girl even gasping as the heat was so horrible, she couldn't open her eyes. Despite her fear that maybe it was too much, Chloe pressed on, letting her Balcoin magic and Hibbins magic consume those around her in blinding heat... and when there was almost no oxygen left, Chloe pulled it all back within her and turned to the door, unlocking it and letting in much needed air, much needed coolness.

In front of her, everyone had collapsed, unconscious, yet breathing. All around them were pools of colored water; tainted liquid.

Chloe went to Faye, making sure she was fine before pulling off her jacket and bunching it up, pressing it to Jason's injured head, making sure to stop the bleeding.

That was when she felt it, that inhuman magic.

Qandisa was coming...

...and Whitney wasn't here.

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"You just let her go?" Mikhail frowned, glaring at his sisters, pissed off at them for this and for Trent and Brendan being there at this very second to see the disorder and confusion in this household.

"She ordered us to stay." Diana folded her arms over her chest.

"Said we'd be a distraction." Cassie was obviously unhappy with that, leaning against the wall. "Left us babysitting Van and the crying girl."

"Dawn," Diana supplied.

"Her." Cassie shrugged. "They're upstairs. He's trying to get her to stop crying."

Diana reached for her phone when it beeped, the girl's eyes widening as she brought her phone to her ear. "Where have you been? I've been calling you – she what?" Diana frowned. "Why didn't she call me?"

Cassie pushed away from the wall. "What is it?"

"Talk louder, Greg. I can't hear you too well." Diana ignored Cassie, turning from her siblings as she listened harder to whatever he was saying. "Wait, _what_?"

"What's going _on__,_ Diana?" Lucas stepped forwards.

Diana raised her hand for him to leave her alone.

"Put it on goddamn speaker phone, Diana!" Mikhail snapped.

Clearly annoyed with them all, Diana twirled around and did so, sending Mikhail a little glare. "You're on speakerphone, Greg. You wanna repeat that for the rest of the class?"

"Chloe called me a couple of minutes back, said that Brent Greene had somehow gotten a hold of a spoon that somehow channeled the Moroccan demon goddess Qandisa and that was what he'd been using against Dawn. I don't know the details. All I do know is apparently the spoon can also be used to make people insane, which is part of a ritual of payment to Qandisa, and Chloe had to basically sweat the magic out of everyone in the party, but Jason's hurt, Faye's out cold, Whitney's disappeared, and Qandisa is on her way." He took in a deep breath. "I'm here, everyone's unconscious and either naked or half naked, but I can't find Chloe or Whitney anywhere. I _have_ found Whitney's clothes though."

Cassie blinked at that one.

Mikhail turned to Lucas. "Come on."

Lucas nodded, already halfway towards the door, Brendan and Trent following after.

Cassie and Diana made for the door.

Mikhail turned and held his hand up. "Not you two."

"But-!" The girls tried to protest.

"She told you two to stay here. You don't want to piss her off, do you?" And with that, Mikhail smirked before slipping out of the door and slamming it shut.

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"_Whitney_!" Chloe stormed through the school, cursing the winding hallways and multitude of rooms. She'd rushed to the pool first but there'd been nothing and no one there, so she'd just taken a direction at random and had been searching for Whitney ever since. She'd heard Greg's motorcycle arrive twenty odd minutes earlier and had gone to the nearest window to gaze down and know for sure it was him, before grinning in relief knowing the others would be fine and continuing on her search. "WHITNEY FORDMAN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

There was no sound except the wind rattling against the windows.

"WHITNEY!" She cupped her hands to her mouth, her voice echoing and yet met with no other sound, no response.

The girl was really starting to get nervous and when she heard another motor arriving, she frowned and went to the window once more, staring out to see Mikhail, Lucas, Trent and a mystery guy she vaguely recalled from the warehouse also, entering the school. She blinked in surprise at that and would have pushed away from the window to continue her search had she not notice shadows shifting almost towards the back of the school and caught sight of Whitney Fordman before the building blocked him from her gaze.

Blinking, the blonde wondered what Whitney was doing outside and why he'd be heading behind the school. There was nothing out there except for the pond.

Chloe's eyes widened.

The _pond_.

No!

She felt panic unlike she'd ever before, the blonde bolting down the hallway towards the closest fire escape, throwing the door open as she began an extremely rapid and dangerous journey down the fire escape stairs on the outside of the building. She brought her Hamsa design to her lips, whispering against it "_Whitney-Whitney please_!" praying to all that was holy that she'd make it on time, that she wouldn't lose him. The blonde flung herself over the side of the fire escape once she was close enough to the ground, grunting as her knees took the brunt of the fall, but the girl ignored the pain as she raced around the building and hurtled down the steep slope towards where the grove of trees hid the icky, moss-covered pond that the school was planning on doing some much needed landscaping on.

"WHITNEY!" she screamed as loudly as she could, tripping and falling to her knees, only barely keeping from tumbling all the way down. "_WHITNEY_!" The girl finally made it to the bottom of the slope and raced into the grove, her heart racing and jumping up into her throat as she finally saw Whitney.

He was slowly walking into the pond, and in the middle of the pond stood a beautiful woman with her arms outstretched towards the Quarterback.

"_Whitney_..." Chloe felt terror grab her throat as she raced forwards, wading into the water and stopping in front of him, hands out on his chest, trying to stop him. "Whitney, _stop_."

"Isn't she beautiful?" Whitney only had eyes for Qandisa. "I love her so much, I'm so lucky she chose me."

"She didn't choose you." Chloe shook her head, gasping as he continued forwards, forcing her backwards deeper into the water so that it rose to her knees. "Whitney, this is a spell and she's going to kill you. Eat you. You're going to die a horrible death and I won't let her have you!"

"You're _lying_," Whitney snapped, his blues lowering to Chloe with such hatred, she found herself breathless. "She _loves_ me and I love her."

"No, you don't." She shook her head, keeping her hands on his chest, keeping her back to the creature as she stared up at Whitney, begging him to see through the spell. "You're under an illusion right now. She has you _thinking_ you're in love with her. That she loves you back. She doesn't really care about you at all."

"How is that different from what _you_ do?" Whitney's words were like a slap. "You do the exact same thing to others; play with their feelings, make them think they feel something – that _you_ feel something."

"It's different and you _know_ it!" Chloe fought the tears that stung her eyes. "Whitney, I can't control what I do and even if I abuse that ability for my own ends sometimes, I still don't plan on _killing_ anyone! If I could get rid of the Enthrall, I would!"

"I don't care." His eyes were blank as they returned to stare above Chloe's shoulder at Qandisa. "She loves me. I love her. I will never be happy unless I'm with her."

"_No_." Chloe shook her head, giving a cry when Whitney grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her away from her as he continued his way towards the demon goddess. Chloe surfaced, wiping her eyes as she raced after Whitney through the water and somehow managed to get in between them once more, refusing to give up, to let him go. How many times had she been out of control and Whitney had been there for her? How many times had he managed to reach through to her when no one else could? How many times had he been there for her when no one else had been? "_Whitney__,__ please_."

"I don't want to hurt you, Chloe." Whitney stared down at her hard, his movements continuously driving them closer to Qandisa, the both of them now hip deep in the murky water. "But if you try to get in my way one more time, I _will_."

They were so close to that creature that if Whitney tossed her away again, Chloe was terrified she wouldn't get to him on time again. "Whitney..." She placed her hand with his sign over his heart. "I know you're in there and that this isn't what you want to do. I know you're stuck in there." She stared up into his eyes as she tried to reach him. "Everything's alright. I'm not going to let you go anywhere or be hurt. I _promise_ you." Her voice trembled. "_I won't let you leave me_."

"You don't have a choice." He went to push her away.

"I'm _not_ losing you." Chloe dodged his attempt to push her away and did the only thing she could think of. Pushing up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck, Chloe brought her mouth to Whitney's and kissed him. It wasn't like the kiss they'd shared earlier, the blonde pulling him closer as instead of doing her best to reign in her Enthrall, Chloe instead bypassed the pink mist altogether and pushed in some of her own magic into him. Like every single time he'd managed to snap her out of it, she reciprocated, kissing him deeply as she slowly funneled that magic down his throat.

Whitney's hands first tried pushing her away before slowly, unsurely, resting on her hips as his mouth moved against hers.

Relief and happiness filled Chloe as an explosion of magic rippled out from Whitney, her lips curving in the kiss as she pushed harder on her tiptoes, arms tightening around Whitney and pulling him closer. The second Whitney's grip on her hips tightened and his lips moved harder against hers, the trees around them caught on fire, the water around them bubbling as a shriek of fury echoed. The sound finally pulled them apart enough to turn to look at the creature, no longer appearing beautiful and serene as Qandisa threw herself at them – only to hit the invisible shield that'd come up between the teenagers and the creature.

"He's _mine_!" Qandisa snarled, raking her claws against the barrier. "I was summoned! I was promised! I did my share, now I demand payment!"

"I didn't summon you, I didn't promise you anything, and you did nothing from me." Chloe glared up at the monstrous female, tightening her grip on Whitney. "You will _not_ have him. He's _mine_."

"But I _was_ promised," Qandisa hissed. "And I _will_ collect!"

"You left me for _him_?" Brent's voice snarled behind Chloe, holding the ancient spoon in his hand as he stood at the edge of the pond. "What does he have that I don't? I'll make you love me!"

Chloe's eyes widened. "Brent. Stay out of the water."

"Why?" he hissed, coming into the pond knee deep rebelliously. "You think that that way I wouldn't know he's _naked_?" He drew nearer, menacingly. "You'll love me just as much as I love you or I'll kill you! No one else can have you! No one-!" What seemed like a tentacle reached out from the water and curled around Brent, yanking the boy past Whitney and Chloe towards Qandisa.

Whitney pulled Chloe to his chest, facing away from the creature and her prey. He quickly covered Chloe's ears with his hands, muffling the sounds of screams and pleads and breaking bones and sliced skin. Whitney kept his own eyes closed, his face hidden in Chloe's hair. Chloe's eyes were wide, only able to see Whitney's chest, and yet the muffled sounds of torture and feasting were enough to give her a visual of what was happening. She finally closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Whitney, hands on his chest before curling around to hug him tightly, shaking at the realization that the one screaming in agony could have been Whitney. If she'd been too late – if she hadn't been able to get to him on time – he'd be dead.

Trembling, Chloe held on tightly to Whitney, almost afraid to let go.

Finally the sounds muted to nothing, the waves no longer violent against them.

All was silent.

All was still.

Whitney slowly raised his head, staring in Qandisa's direction before slowly removing his hands from Chloe's ears. "They're gone."

Chloe raised her head from his chest, opening her eyes towards the middle of the pond, finding nothing and no one. Even the spoon was gone, which was most probably a very good thing. They didn't need someone else finding that and using it for their own ends.

"So – your flirtation with Brent Greene makes slight sense now." Whitney cleared his throat. "I have to say, that threw my game a little tonight, trying to figure out what the hell was going on."

"People need to stop Dabbling in magic," Chloe whispered, leaning her forehead against his chest once more, letting out a little shaky sigh. "I almost lost you tonight." Her grip around him tightened as her body shook. "I-I don't think-it's you and me, remember?" She gulped. "Has been from the start. Nothing that's happened has changed that."

He was silent, hesitating before resting his hands on her shoulders. "Why didn't you just Enthrall me?"

She raised her tear-filled gaze up to look into his face. "What?"

"If you'd Enthralled me, it'd be two forces fighting inside of me, would have probably been easier than trying to reason with me when you realized I wasn't the one in control at the moment." Whitney stared down at her, an intense expression on his face. "So why didn't you do that?"

"I would never do that to you," Chloe whispered, a little hurt. "Especially not _on purpose_. Why would you-?"

Whitney stared down at her before cursing softly, looking away as he ran a hand over his hair. "You really don't wanna Enthrall me."

"Of course I don't." She felt confused.

"Chloe? Don't take this the wrong way," Whitney whispered before his arms lowered down her shoulders and to her wrists, trapping them behind Chloe's body and arching the surprised blonde into him before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.

Chloe's eyes flew open, confusion and fear rising within her as she could feel her Enthrallment (which was just so much more active since John's and Francis' magic had joined hers) coming alive, snaking it's way up her throat towards Whitney. She tried to pull free, tried to escape, and yet Whitney held onto her arms tighter and forcefully (yet not painfully at all) kept her against him as he kissed her deeper. Chloe was desperate, terrified as the Enthrallment reached the tip of her tongue. She didn't want to Enthrall Whitney. She didn't! She _didn't_ want him to act the way Brent had! The way anyone Enthralled by her did! It'd ruin their friendship! Their partnership! It'd ruin everything!

No! _No!_ She didn't want it! She wouldn't! She couldn't! No! _No_! No...

Chloe gasped into the kiss, shock filling her body as she realized the Enthrallment was curling around in her mouth before slowly returning down her throat and away from Whitney. Tears of relief filled those green eyes as she felt the Enthrallment return to its dormant state within her.

They slowly pulled away, staring silently into the other's eyes.

Whitney gave a crooked little smile and tilted his head to the side, scratching at his temple. "Did it work? Because I don't _feel_ like what I'd expect "Enthralled" to feel like."

Chloe just continued to look up into Whitney's face in silence.

Whitney cleared his throat, looking away, a blush creeping up his neck. "I – I didn't mean anything weird by – I was proving to you that you're stronger and more in control than you seem to realize you are and – don't – uh – I-"

"I, uh, I wasn't the one kissing you," Chloe finally spoke, looking away. "You've kissed me before and nothing's happened."

"But those were different sorts of kisses! And they were shorter than that one was!" Whitney's eyes widened.

"Still..." Chloe licked her lips, needing to know for sure that this wasn't a fluke, that she could… "I..." Her greens rose to his. "Don't take this the wrong way..." She hesitated nonetheless, seeing Whitney's eyes widen, before she pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. It was a soft kiss, uncertain as her hands rested on his chest, her lips moving against his. This time, as his hands rested on her hips, the Enthrallment didn't even activate, not even as Chloe's hands slowly trailed up to curl around his neck, opening her mouth to the kiss.

Tears of joy and relief began to trickle down Chloe's face as she finally pulled away, smiling up into Whitney's face. "I can control it."

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Diana walked back and forth, unable to believe that she was there doing nothing while something was obviously happening! What use to Chloe was she if she kept leaving her behind like a kid? Like a liability? What if Chloe was hurt? What if-?

The marker on the dry marker board she'd bought for Adam lifted and neat, masculine handwriting began to be written on the board. **WHY ARE YOU SO NERVOUS?**

She licked her lips, still not used to the fact that there was someone else here she couldn't see, and yet a part of her thought it was one of the coolest things ever. It was like having her own personal ghost – and then another part of her was pissed off at herself for that because it couldn't be wonderful for Adam. He had suffered so much due to the Balcoins that the fact that he didn't hate them because of John just said millions of incredible things about his character. About the type of person he was. "Chloe might be in trouble. I'm worried because she wouldn't let me go with her to check it out and took Faye instead."

There was a pause and then the writing continued below. **I WILL CHECK ON HER FOR YOU.**

Diana's eyes widened. "You'd do that for me?"

The marker lowered to its holder and then there was nothing.

She hugged herself tighter, anxious, wondering how long she'd have to wait for-

The marker raised once more, writing below the last sentence. **SHE IS FINE... MIGHT CATCH A COLD THOUGH.**

Diana blinked at that in confusion, wishing more than ever that she could actually see Adam Knight's face and get an idea of what in the world he was talking about. "So you can just pop to wherever Chloe is?"

**BECAUSE HER MAGIC CURSED ME.**

Diana nibbled on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry about that."

**YOU DIDN'T CURSE ME.**

"I know that." She was glaring at the air and felt stupid for that. "But my father did."

The eraser rose and began removing his writing on the board, lowering again before the marker rose to write in the freed space.** IT HASN'T BEEN SO BAD LATELY. ESPECIALLY SINCE I GOT THIS NIFTY DRY MARKER BOARD. THAT WAY I DON'T HAVE TO PESTER CHLOE ALL THE TIME IF I WANT TO CONVERSE WITH SOMEONE. THANK YOU FOR THAT, BY THE WAY.**

She smiled softly. "You're welcome."

There was a pause, a clear hesitation, before the marker returned to the board. **I THOUGHT SHE LIKED JASON.**

Diana blinked in utter surprise at that extremely random comment. "I don't know. So far it seems like Team Lex and Team Jason have pulled out of the fight, so I don't know if I really am supporting either of them. And while she's attracted to both in different ways, I don't think that she ever let herself trust them enough to really like them. I don't know if she ever will." She then wondered if maybe Adam liked Chloe, and it'd make sense. The blonde was the only one who could see him and he did sleep in her bedroom. Diana frowned slightly as she eyed the floating marker. "Why'd you bring it up?"

Again there was hesitation before the marker began writing.** WHEN I FOLLOWED HER BEFORE, WHEN SHE STILL COULDN'T SEE ME… I THOUGHT SHE LIKED HIM. I THOUGHT THEY WERE IN LOVE. BUT HE LEFT HER AND, WELL, NOW SHE… **There was another bit of hesitation as the marker merely floated above the board before continuing.** I EXPECTED HER TO BE IN MOURNING. TO NEED TIME TO GET OVER JASON. **The marker tapped against the board almost nervously before the next bit came out. **I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WOMEN.**

A bark of laughter escaped Diana's lips. "Welcome to the world of normal men, Adam Knight."

**WHAT ABOUT WHITNEY?**

"You mean romantically?" Diana licked her lips, surprised by the question. "I honestly have no idea. I know she loves him and he loves her, and I know they trust each other, but I don't think either of them would risk losing what they have. But it's not as if they haven't kissed before. It's just – their relationship seems much more than just romantic. It's… I can't find the right word for it really."

The marker flicked in the air before going to the board. **YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE SOME TOWELS READY FOR THEM WHEN THEY GET BACK. I HAVE SOMETHING TO DO. BYE & THANKS FOR THE TALK.**

Diana blinked. That was not at all what she'd expect to read and wondered why he sounded so odd. "Uh, sure."

Somehow she could tell he was already gone.

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"Do I even want to know?" Mikhail raised an eyebrow as he and the others met an awkward looking Chloe and Whitney at the front of the school, both of them soaked, refusing to look at the other and Whitney wearing nothing but Chloe's jacket tied around his hips and barely covering his privates.

Chloe gave him a tired little smile. "Hey, Mik, Lucas..." her gaze went to where Brendan and Trent were, eyebrow raising, "and _company_." She moved towards the boys, who straightened. "Boys, long time no see. How are you?"

"They think we're keeping you all to ourselves and don't want you to interact with them." Lucas folded his arms over his chest. "They've come to tell you to make time for them or they'll take their business elsewhere."

Brendan and Trent sent him a glare.

Trent turned his gaze on Chloe. "We – the men – with Patricia and John both gone, we feel the need to be addressed by you."

Brendan nodded. "We swore loyalty to your dad and now since you're the next head, we work for _you_, but we feel ignored, neglected, unwanted."

"It wasn't my intention to make you feel that way." Chloe raised her head. "But believe me, had you been unwanted, I wouldn't have made a deal with Lex Luthor to keep you all safe from any attempt at revenge from his Circle for what you did to his sister and her boyfriend."

Their eyes widened, but Brendan was the one to talk. "_That's_ why we haven't been attacked?"

Trent eyed Chloe silently.

The blonde nodded. "Let's talk about this at home before we all catch our deaths."

"Everyone's fine inside, in case you're wondering." Greg appeared, a still unconscious Faye in his arms and Whitney's clothes over his shoulder. "I called Lex and he came to get Jason, so he's fine, and the others just need to sleep it off so I'm leaving them there." He paused and snickered at Whitney's state of undress. "Nice legs."

"Stuff it, Arkin," Whitney grumbled, blushing in embarrassment as he grabbed his clothes from Greg's shoulder.

Mikhail was curious as to why exactly Whitney and Chloe weren't looking at each other given the fact that out of everyone, it was more than obvious that Whitney was Chloe's right hand. Maybe it was the fact that Whitney was naked. Whatever. He didn't care. They were all fine, the boys had been put in their places for doubting Mikhail and he'd been able to participate in some way in a situation Cassie and Diana had been barred from.

All in all, that made for a great night.

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**TBC**


	66. Byron Moore

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Morgan Edge had a mad dog look in his eyes that made Chloe uneasy to her bones as she met with him the next day, Marx having pulled strings incredibly fast after her phone call to him the night before. She'd made sure that the meeting between herself and the Metropolis Crime Lord (organized by a wary Marx) took place during the day in a very heavily populated mall. She knew that he had his men blending in with the customers just as her own people were, and the thought of an all-out war in the middle of the humans was nerve-wracking and yet something she was willing to risk. She needed to find out if the information she'd been given was true, and if so, why Morgan Edge had her brother and what was his price to let him go.

"I'm curious as to how you got this information." Morgan Edge eyed her, reminding her somewhat of Rutger Hauer, tilting his head to the side as he observed her. "I keep my business secret."

"So you _do_ have Byron Moore." Chloe took in a deep breath, refusing to grow excited or worried. "I'm willing to pay a lot of money to buy his freedom from you."

"You're not going to ask _why _I have him?" the older man asked curiously.

"I'm not sure I want to know the reason," she admitted.

He smiled darkly. "His mother was my baby sister."

Chloe's eyes widened in horror, unable to keep her emotions repressed anymore as the air around them grew hot. "You're imprisoning your own _nephew_?"

"You don't seem to have all the information, Miss Balcoin. I'm not _imprisoning_ my nephew." Morgan Edge leaned back. "I'm _protecting_ him."

The blonde narrowed her gaze at him in confusion. "I don't follow."

"You see, my sister kept the identity of Byron's father a secret from everyone, even myself. Ekaterina knew that we didn't trust John Balcoin or his associate, and yet she was seduced by him while I was away and gave birth to his child. For years we didn't know the parentage of that child and we loved him... and then once he hit puberty, the truth of his conception was revealed to us all as the dark magic in his veins surfaced." Morgan took in a deep breath. "Do you know what they said about Francis Balcoin? About the consequence of whatever it is he did to possess dark magic?"

"They said he went insane with his darkest desires." Chloe had read that in the Balcoin book of spells under a section that'd been dedicated to Francis Balcoin and yet was vaguer than she would have liked. "They say that his descendants also tended to have their own forms of dementia due to the unnaturalness of the dark magic flowing through their veins."

"And you must realize that that is so, living with three of your siblings." Morgan Edge knew more about her than she liked. "From what I've managed to research after discovering that John's firstborn child had taken over and was forming a Balcoin household, rebuilding the Balcoin Clan – each one of your siblings have shown some sort of psychosis."

"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Take your younger sister Cassie, for example. She's _clearly_ got strong tendencies towards psychotic rage, easily giving into her murderous desires. She's killed before your father's death; a witch hunter who tried to kill them, true, but still, one would think that she'd have some sort of emotional reaction to the fact that she can kill, as would any normal person. She's sociopathic, lacking empathy, and always finds a way to justify what she does, no matter what it is," Morgan Edge declared, his judgmental attitude ridiculous considering he was a great crime lord who was behind some of the most violent criminal activity in Metropolis. "Your brother Mikhail is classically asocial, living in the world yet having no interest or use for it or the people in it. There's so much raw talent in that boy, but he has no interest in using it unless for trivial matters that amuse him like his gambling ring and the column in your high school newspaper." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "Your sister Diana, what can I say about her? Well, not only does she not face her problems, she runs away from them in her fear and her need to avoid confrontation. She lacks the connection to _anything_ to actually feel the need to fight for it – like her old Circle, her relationship with that boy in it, or her relationship to the Meade family after Charles was discovered not to be her father. She has an innate inability to actually confront the issues at hand." He took another sip of his coffee. "And your brother Pete is a classic obsessive Balcoin male who fixates on a mission, or in his case a _girl_, and cares about nothing else, will do all he has to in order to get what he wants. Will follow the mission, the girl, to the ends of the world and do whatever is needed to accomplish his means."

Chloe kept her chin raised, defiant, not happy with the judging of her siblings and yet not able to really refute anything he'd said.

"And _you_, Miss Balcoin." Morgan Edge finished his coffee before beginning. "I've been keeping a _close_ eye on you since Lionel discovered who you were and that his son was keeping you from him. I'll admit that at first, I wanted to see whether you looked more like Moira or John, but afterwards, I was just fascinated by you and your exploits. You've become a pet project of mine." He smirked at the grim line of her mouth. "I mean that as a compliment, not many things can fascinate me."

Chloe took in a deep breath, sorely uncomfortable.

"But as I was saying, you, as the Firstborn, are heavily flawed as well and at times I think you have a bit of multiple personalities inside you." He eyed her curiously. "One second you're an innocent, normal teenaged girl, then the next you're a naturally talented witch cunningly doing whatever you need to get your way, the next you're a mother to five problematic teenagers, and then next you're the devil incarnate standing between one of your Circle and an ancient Moroccan demon."

Chloe's eyes widened at the _extent_ of the knowledge this man had on her.

"But in trying to explain my main point, I've strayed." Morgan took in a deep breath, leaning hard on his chair. "My nephew has inherited a Balcoin sickness – a Balcoin _madness_ – that is uncontrollable in its best of times."

Chloe frowned, leaning forwards. "What are you talking about?"

"He has a malady that is rare, yet _has_ been known to occur in the Balcoin lineage thanks to their dark magic." Morgan eyed her intently. "I suppose you could say, like yourself, he can be different people, and yet, for my nephew there are only two personalities. There is Byron and then there's _Dark _Byron. The reason he has to be contained the way he is is due to the fact that as he's grown older, the Dark personality has grown stronger and stronger, and he is a violent and unlikable character, mostly animalistic, monstrous. And it would appear that sunlight seems to be some sort of _trigger_ of the Dark personality."

That was why Byron was kept in darkness.

"If this is a Balcoin sickness then there has to be some sort of treatment for it." Chloe narrowed her eyes, unable to believe that the Balcoins would just keep their own living like that. Not out of the goodness of their hearts, but because Balcoins found any weakness disgusting and would prefer to kill the person than keep them alive and locked up.

"I have heard that there was a way to keep the personalities in check, but I have yet to find any credible way of doing so," Morgan responded. "And now we get to the reason _why_ I agreed to meet you."

Chloe took in a deep breath.

"Female Firstborns are few and rare in the Balcoin family, did you know that?"

Chloe blinked, having heard something about that. It was why the Enthrallment has been such a rare and coveted ability. "Yes."

"In fact, you are the _third_ that I know of in Balcoin history," he surprised her by declaring. "The First Balcoin witch, the Founder of the Balcoins in the Six, was a woman. And after her, only one other Firstborn was a female. Would you like to know what they had in common?"

"Sure." She licked her lips.

"Both women ruled during the two periods in the Balcoin lineage in which there was peace and prosperity. They were true _Souls_ for the Balcoin family. Francis Balcoin might have made the Balcoin a family to fear, to worship and respect, but those two Firstborns made the Balcoins _loved. _Something they haven't been for far too long." Morgan leaned forwards on the seat. "They were said to have a deeper connection to the Family, to the clan. They were said to have a special binding magic, similar to their Enthrall, which not only naturally drew those around them closer but had a healing affect, especially if there was physical touch."

"But that was before the Balcoin magic was turned to Dark Magic," Chloe reminded softly, seeing where Morgan was going with this. "Dark Magic would nullify any healing ability. I can't heal Byron like they would have been able to."

"Don't be too sure about that." Morgan Edge raised an eyebrow. "Cassie Blake stopped herself mid murderous spree due to _your _intervention. A mere slap should not have been enough to stop her, not when she was not only tainted by her own hatred but also by the abomination." He raised his hand to stop Chloe when her eyes widened as his wording and would have asked, the man continuing. "Mikhail is willing integrating himself into your world, into your activities, into your battles. He's making _an effort_ to please you and show his worth." He raised an eyebrow. "Diana Blake is in the middle of the most uncomfortable and problematic time in her life; her father killed Cassie – she killed Mikhail's father – and she's living with _both_ of them. But she's not running away from her troubles, her problems. She's staying there and fighting through them." He snorted. "Your other brother is still as obsessively following the girl – but he's not with you, is he?"

Chloe just stared at Morgan in deep thought, trying to take in all he was saying, what he was implying.

"Even those who aren't your blood are drawn to you. The Chamberlain girl and the Dunleavy boy, the TouchSight and your ever faithful Hand." Morgan continued to eye her as if she were a fascinating creature to study. "And not only them, but Lionel's boy and his Circle are drawn to you too. Lex would have never tried to keep anything from his father before, and yet look at you, still under his protection."

Chloe frowned in confusion at that.

"Lionel and I are good friends, have been since childhood, but if you truly are who I think you are, then I _too_ will defy him as Lex has." Morgan took in a deep breath. "I want you to meet Byron."

Chloe's eyes widened. "I'd – I'd like that."

"Good." He stood. "Then follow me." His gaze went to their surroundings. "Your Circle can come as well."

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"While the blow was deep, yes, his condition was worsened by the tainted magic in his veins, by being left to bleed out, and then his body also went through a shock when the tainted magic was expelled from him," the Shaman, or Witch Doctor, declared as he addressed Jason's Circle and his parents. "His body has gone through multiple traumas, almost simultaneously, and it's affected his healing."

"How so doctor?" Genevieve Teague was obviously doing her best to stay composed.

"To be quite frank, Mrs Teague, something in your son is stopping his healing." The doctor turned to her.

"I don't understand how that's possible," Edward Teague pressed. "Witches have a higher healing ability than humans, so why would there be something in him _keeping_ him from healing?"

"It's not like he's a Dabbler either." Tess frowned, once again rubbing against the scar where her finger had been reattached and was now fully healed, just going to show their greater healing capabilities. "He should already be getting better. It doesn't make any sense."

"Are you saying that someone _else_ is keeping him from healing?" Lex wanted to know, face impassive. "Someone _else's_ magic?"

The group went silent at the thought because the only other person whose magic could do that would be the Firstborn's.

"No." The doctor shook his head. "Consider it like an allergic reaction to the mixture of things he's come into contact with. His body is in shock and confused right now, as is his magic, and it's halting any activity, which is preferable considering I've seen magic react similarly in cases like this but instead of halting the healing, it began attacking the body, mistakenly considering it the threat."

Oliver frowned. "So his prognostic is optimistic?"

The doctor paused, obviously thinking his words over carefully, before answering. "We have the best healers in the county working on him, and they _will_ heal him, that is not the question that should be asked."

"Then what _is_ the question that should be asked?" Davis narrowed his eyes.

"The question is, my dear boy," the doctor turned his old gaze on the young man, "how the trauma to his body might manifest itself once he's awoken."

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"I don't like this," Whitney hissed, grabbing Chloe's arm and pulling her apart from the others as they walked down towards the dungeon area where Byron was supposedly being kept. "This could very well be a trap."

"Or he could be telling the truth and my brother's down there," Chloe countered, slipping loose from Whitney's hold as she continued after the group, joining Diana's side, the brunette having turned to look at them curiously when they'd stopped.

Morgan motioned Chloe closer as they arrived at a door, which he opened by placing his thumb against a screen. Below was darkness. He motioned for Chloe to lead the way.

"I'll go first." Greg stepped forwards, giving Morgan a distrustful look before taking a step into the darkness, beginning to descend deeper.

Morgan turned to Chloe. "I do not want to overwhelm him, the rest must stay here."

"Dude, you've got to be _joking_." Lucas sneered. "There's no way that we're letting only her and TouchSight down there."

Chloe sent him a look.

Lucas looked away, silenced and yet clearly displeased with this.

Chloe turned to Morgan, voice soft, eyes determined. "If you try and hurt them while I'm gone-"

His grin silenced her. "Your Circle is safe, Miss Balcoin." He then motioned for her once more to continue down below.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe descended slowly into the darkness, hand finding a railing and using it to lead herself downwards until finally she stepped off of the steps and onto the floor, feeling the magical anchors in this room almost immediately, how they were draining. She turned toward Morgan as he descended, about to tell him that if this was a trap then-

But the sound of chains made her pause and turn towards the darkest darkness as the door above them closed shut. "Hello?"

Greg whispered a chant, an orb of light appearing over his palm, shedding enough light in the room to see that half of it was partitioned off with a see-through wall dividing their section of the room with the one in which Byron Moore sat on, looking at them in silence.

"Uncle – Uncle Morgan?" Byron pulled on his chains tighter before his dark browns rested on Chloe and his eyes widened. "_You_."

"_Hey_." Chloe moved to the glass, pressing her hand against it, disgusted by the fact that he was caged like this, even if he seemed to have a nice little room on that side of the glass.

"I've dreamt of you." Byron's voice was a whisper as he stood, seeming fascinated and confused. "How-?"

Morgan moved to Chloe and pressed his thumb against a screen, the door opening. He didn't give Chloe any indication of what he was going to do before he pushed her inside as the door was closing.

"Let her out of there!" Greg snarled.

Chloe pounded against the glass.

The orb of light fluttering over Greg's palm burst into flames before the witch threw it at the glass – the fire fizzling out.

"The strongest anti-magic symbols envelope this room," Morgan Edge declared. "But Balcoin magic is strong enough to – It still fights it." His gaze went to Byron. "It's why we can't let him touch us."

"This is _stupid."_ Chloe's voice was a hiss as she took in a breath and turned towards Byron, giving him a little smile as she moved towards him. "I don't know if you remember much about our shared dream, but I'm your sister."

Byron moved to push against the wall. "Don't come closer."

"I'm not going to hurt you," she promised.

"It's not _you_ that I'm worried about." Byron looked around him, clearly nervous. "I – I sometimes-"

"I know, your uncle told me about the Dark you." She slowly drew closer, as if approaching an injured animal that was scared and apt to attack in self defense. "There's no sunlight now, Byron. I'm safe. We're fine."

Byron's gaze shifted to his uncle before widening in horror. "No! Don't!"

But it was too late. Morgan had pressed a button and a metal plate behind them shifted, letting sunlight in.

Chloe's eyes widened in horror as Byron's reaction to the magic was instinctive, a scream ripping from his mouth as his muscles rippled, growing larger, his eyes bleeding black and his features almost sharper as he turned his inhuman gaze on her. "Byron?"

"I told you you should have stayed away." His voice distorted as he grabbed her by her throat, lifting her easily off of the floor and slamming her hard against the wall, cutting off most of her oxygen.

"What are you doing?" Greg snarled, turning to Morgan. "He'll kill her!"

"If he _can _kill her then she's no good to me," Morgan snapped.

Chloe grabbed the hand that held her, tightening her grip on it as she stared into those inky black eyes, her Balcoin magic curling in her stomach. "By-Byron... p-please..."

He tightened his grip on her neck, cutting off _all_ of her oxygen. The symbols carved into the shackles glowed brightly as they restrained his full strength, yet what he was left with was still brutal.

In her desperation, her Balcoin magic broke free and Chloe could feel her own eyes shifting with the change, her pupils expanding drastically as suddenly Byron roared in pain like an injured animal and let go of her, collapsing to his knees, hugging himself as if in agony.

"Are you alright?" Greg banged against the glass.

"Yes." But Chloe wasn't looking away from Byron, kneeling down next to him and hesitating only a second before reaching out and grabbing his chin, forcing the reluctant boy to turn to look at her. "Byron?"

He moved as if to throw himself on her before roaring and pulling back, tearing at his own hair.

"Byron, _stop_ it!" She was the one who ended up throwing herself onto the other, wrapping her arms around as best she could in an attempt to keep him from hurting himself. "Calm down, Byron. Calm down." She forced her magic around him when he struggled in her hold, the girl closing her eyes as she slowly breathed in and out, slowing the rate of her rapidly beating heart. "Listen to the sound of my heart, Byron, just listen to it."

"Close the goddamn window!" Greg hissed to Morgan.

Chloe felt tiny holding this guy back, but her magic was stronger and she held him through the thrashing, through the growling and cursing and the pain he seemed to be going through. She ignored his animalistic sounds, keeping her eyes closed as she began to hum softly. The girl didn't really believe the whole theory that she was a healer – she'd seen enough of the Balcoin magic to know that it _hurt_ instead of healed, but she knew that Byron needed her to be calm right now. It was why she kept holding on, knowing that was all she could do right now, hold him and let him ride through this episode.

She also hated Morgan Edge for putting Byron through this pain, even if only to prove a point to her. And if sunlight was what triggered this response – why was he kept in _total _darkness? Had the guy never heard of the light bulb? This was all too sadistic.

Finally, Byron stopped fighting, merely limp in her arms, his forehead leaning against her shoulder; her still very tender and bandaged shoulder.

Chloe reached up and ran her fingers caressingly through his hair, continuing to hum as her other hand rubbed the small of Byron's back the same way her father used to her when she was young and scared. She wanted Byron to feel safe, _needed_ to connect with the person she knew was buried beneath the beast, knowing he was in pain and scared. She was sick at the realization that he'd been like this for years. Since _puberty_. He must have been so scared, so alone, for far too long.

Pressing a soft kiss against his mop of dark hair, Chloe knew he was a stranger, knew that she really had no idea how to truly help him, mother him, but she just held on, whispering softly. She channeled her father as best as she could, knowing she could never do him justice but trying nonetheless.

It was only when Chloe realized her bandage was getting wet that she realized he was crying.

"Oh, _honey_." Chloe pressed another kiss to his hair, leaving her forehead rested against him.

Slowly Byron pulled away enough to look her in the face, his eyes were still inky black, his features still somewhat sharper than normal, the beast still obviously prominent, and yet somehow, so was Byron.

Chloe reached up to cup his face, wiping at his tears with her thumbs as she smiled into his young face. "I'm your big sister Chloe."

He just eyed her before speaking, his voice still distorted. "You're so tiny."

She let out a little bark of laughter at that. "I'm getting that a lot." The blonde looked up at the window, at the sunshine bathing them both, before turning her head to Morgan. "I'm taking him home with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Byron's inky eyes were wide, scared. "I-"

"You're my little brother." Chloe let her hands fall to the shackles around his wrists, tightening her grip on the symbol-covered and magically enforced restraints, which disintegrated into dust, leaving bruised wrists behind.

Byron's eyes widened as he stared at his wrists.

Chloe reached down and grabbed the restraints around his ankles which disintegrated as well.

Byron's breathing accelerated, obviously close to a panic attack. "You can't – without them-!"

Chloe reached up and cupped his face once more, bringing his inky eyes to her as she breathed in and out slowly. "Calm down, Byron. Just breathe. Remember the sound of my heartbeat? Breathe in and breathe out. Sloooowwwwllly. Yes. There you go." She breathed in time with him, coaching him through the panic attack, and every time she could feel his body tense up, the transformation threatening to intensify, she'd push a little more of her magic into him, having realized that that was what had stopped him from killing her.

He'd recognized her as his kind, his _kin_. Or at least the beast side of him had and it was respecting her so far.

Letting her hands fall from his face when she felt he'd calmed down enough, Chloe held out a hand between them. "I'm here to take you home but I won't force you."

Byron's gaze went from her hand to his uncle before his licked his lips nervously and returned his dark gaze on her. "I don't have control over this side of me."

"I'll help you." She didn't know _how_ she was going to do that, but by the gods she _would_! "I _promise _you, Byron. I'll find a way to help you gain control over this and live a _normal _life." She took in a deep breath. "If _you_ let me."

Byron once more looked towards his uncle, obviously scared and confused and seeking some sort of counsel from the man, but Morgan merely watched.

Greg stood silently, scarred fists clenched tightly.

Byron finally turned his gaze back towards Chloe, staring down at the hand she offered before slowly, hesitantly, placing his hand in hers. "Yes, please." Immediately his eyes cleared, the black draining away and his body returned to its more slender build, his breath leaving him in a gasp as his free hand raised to his face, the creases having disappeared and his features softened. His brown orbs turned to her as he gave a staggered chuckle, breathing in and out, in and out.

Chloe smiled as she stood, keeping their hands entwined, and helped him stand. "Come on, we're going home."

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Everyone had gone to bed except Mr Teague, who was drinking somewhere, and Lex, who sat in Jason's room, reading. He wasn't staying up late because of worry, to be truthful. He was never much of a sleeper and had promised Mrs Teague that he'd stay watch over Jason while she slept. Anyway, with Jason out cold it was probably the most silent place in the overly crowded mansion and Lex could read without much worry about interruption from his father or anyone else. And it was good too, because he'd taken to reading their history with the Balcoin family, or as much as he could find on it. He had a feeling his father had the juiciest history books hidden somewhere because he doubted that what he'd managed to find so far on the Six and the Luthor family was everything they had.

At least this volume was very interesting, even if vague on some of the more important parts. It concerned Arabella Balcoin, who was the second female Firstborn of the Balcoin Clan, the first apparently the Founding Balcoin. It wouldn't have interested Lex so much if it wasn't for the fact that this volume spoke of the young girl taking over the Clan due to the death of her father, and of the love affaire she'd had with Maximus Luthor (heir of the current Luthor head), which had been cut short as when they'd been about to elope, Horatio Balcoin had died and Arabella stepped up as leader of her Clan. Already in Arabella's time, the law that the heads of the Six (or those close enough to inherit the position should something happen to the current head, like the second oldest child) were unable to marry another head (or heir) had been in place due to "that unfortunate era of darkness and war, of near destruction".

This was the background for the medieval Trial Chloe had gone through. She'd been put in Arabella Balcoin's shoes to see if she'd choose the same as her ancestor or would choose love over her family.

According to this volume, Arabella Balcoin was a wise ruler faithful to her family, but that like "the Founding Balcoin" she had a certain _pull_ on others that was irresistible and gave her and her Clan no end of trouble. It gave other Clans much trouble as well, as the men in them fell victim to her smile and began turning on each other. Maximus' Circle was the most affected due to the amount of time she'd spent in the Luthor Court growing up – had a member of the Luthor Circle (Maximus' youngest brother) leave the Luthor Court for the Balcoin one, and the intermingling of their bloodlines when Georgina Luthor had been married off to Henrick Balcoin in a politically aligned marriage. The other heads (including Maximus' father) had convened and decided that to avoid all fighting that was happening (both between Courts, Dabblers, and within Circles themselves) and something else they referred to as "that which was unspeakable", Arabella Balcoin was to marry a man of their choice who would "keep the night at bay nigh a little more".

Things hadn't ended too well for Maximus who it was said opposed the marriage despite the fact that he was already married himself. He was found murdered, and as he did not have any children, his brother took over as heir of the Luthors. It was never discovered who'd killed him, but they'd made a point to write how he'd died on the darkest of nights.

Arabella herself married the man chosen for her, a warrior who belonged to one of the Six Courts and yet wasn't in a position of power, with whom it was said she had many children and who proved himself to be her right hand. It never stated whether she loved this husband or mourned Maximus, but it _did_ make a vague mention to the fact that ever since Maximus' death there was never a danger of the heads of the Six joining in union as they'd been reminded of "the era of shadows" and thus "the dark night broke into fleeting dawn".

Lex frowned looking up at Jason, losing interest in the book as the next section dealt with something else completely. What he'd read seemed to insinuate that Maximus' death wasn't a surprise, that this was yet another reason why the heads never intermingled romantically. It was almost as if it was insinuating that if they did, death would follow "on the wings of shadows".

Sighing, he leaned hard on his chair, thinking about his own ill-advised attraction to Chloe Balcoin. The texts also insinuated that this happened every time there was a female Firstborn ruling the Balcoin clan (which, so far, seemed to have only happened twice before Chloe) and it made Lex wonder if maybe this wasn't an extension of their ability to Enthrall – or maybe their ability to Enthrall was because of something within them, something natural, and it manifested _visibly_ in the Enthrallment yet invisibly in the way they seemed to draw in the men of power around them and cause great conflict, fights and discord within otherwise strong Circles.

Like his own.

Wariness entered Lex as he eyed Jason and thought of Davis, their strong friendship quite rocky now because of the girl. And things would be worse in his Circle if Lex openly admitted his attraction to her like they had.

No.

He couldn't and wouldn't. He'd learn from Maximus Luthor. An attraction, carnal lust, did not mean love, especially if towards a Balcoin woman. He didn't need this sort of distraction, not now.

No.

Lex was going to lock away his attraction in the back of his mind, kill it before it killed him, and encourage his men to do the same.

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**TBC**


	67. You Are Cordially Invited

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Byron was bunking in the basement because he still wouldn't come out during the day and was scared of sunlight. Chloe had tried to convince him to move up but he'd been firm in his decision to make below his home and in the end she realized it was going to take a while to work on him and she still hadn't found anything in the Balcoin book of shadows concerning his illness so it was probably for the best. Out of all of her siblings, Byron was the shiest, which was really to be expected all things considered, and he only came out of his room after sunset, continuing his schooling through correspondence.

The thing about Byron's moving in with them was that, for the first time, there was another Balcoin other than Chloe that her siblings didn't dislike intensely. They were a bit wary of Byron at first but had grown comfortable with him quickly knowing that as long as it was night time, he wouldn't pose any sort of threat to them or their safety. He wasn't that comfortable with Faye or Lucas (Chloe wondered if it was because they weren't blood and his other side recognized that) but he seemed better around Whitney and Greg (whom he said felt like Chloe, which she guessed was because they were bound to her Circle).

Another incredible thing about this other side of Byron was that, while he didn't see or hear Adam, he could _sense_ him. He'd actually seemed to take to Adam the quickest and easiest of them all, and Chloe had a feeling it was due to the fact that they were both cursed in their own ways that they could relate to each other. It was kinda cute because while he was upstairs, Byron usually gravitated to the dry eraser board and spent most of his time chatting with Adam. Their friendship was adorable.

Chloe's gaze went from where Byron was laughing at something Adam had written, back to the book of shadows, pulling a strand of hair out of her face and concentrating on the section she was supposed to be reading about certain spells unique to the Balcoins. Once she was able to read this and get a grip on the magic herself, she was going to have to start teaching her siblings what she'd learned and the thought was both amazing and terrifying.

"Don't be ridiculous. Spike is a _way_ better person than Angel," Faye declared in earnest as she leaned closer to Greg, with whom she was having an apparently very serious conversation if their expressions were anything to go by.

"How can you _say_ that he's a better person than Angel?" Greg made a face, highly insulted. "If it hadn't been for Angel, Spike would have killed everyone!"

"If it wasn't for that gypsy curse then Angel would have killed everyone!" Faye fought back. "And that brings me to the point as to _why_ Spike is much better than Angel! He _fought_ for his soul. Angel was _cursed_ with it."

"He only did it for a girl." Greg rolled his eyes, not at all convinced. "Spike _always_ did _whatever_ he did for a girl. He got the soul because he figured it'd help him get Buffy. Not because he really _wanted_ it."

"That's stupid. He would have _killed_ Dru for Buffy. Yeah. But he understood the ramifications of getting a soul – he'd seen what a moody, brooding, annoying twat Angel was because of it. But he'd realized after he tried to hurt Buffy – Spike is the better man. Okay?" Faye was all sorts of passionate about this as she turned to Cassie. "Back me up on this."

Cassie looked up from the homework she was still in the middle of competing. "Don't look at me. I was a Wesley Wyndam-Price girl."

Both Greg and Faye made faces, Faye shaking her head. "_Talk_ about an asshole. Who kidnaps their best friend's kid and gets it hijacked into a demon dimension?"

"Hey! He thought Angel was going to kill Connor, okay? There was a _prophecy_." Cassie pouted. "And anyway, he totally redeemed himself in the end. If Angel could forgive him, no one else has the right to hold it against him."

"Aha!" Greg pointed to Faye. "That reminds me of another point in my favor! Angel forgave Wesley for what he did. That goes to show that _Angel_ was the better guy because _no way_ would Spike do the same if it'd been him!"

Faye rallied up to defend Spike.

On the other side of the room, another conversation of a different kind was taking place between Diana and Lucas.

"So I'm not just imagining it and being evil-minded?" Diana hugged herself, eyeing Lucas thoughtfully.

"Definitely not." He smirked. "Mrs Tran and Mr Harvey are definitely banging each other behind Mrs Harmon's back."

"I was just hoping I was being too suspicious!" Diana gasped, shaking her head. "Everyone knows that Mrs Harmon and Mr Harvey are hooking up behind her husband's back, but there was just this _vibe_ between him and Mrs Tran. And the fact that her husband's a truck driver and never there, well, it gives them ample opportunity."

"I got more than a vibe." Lucas snorted. "When Mik and I were driving back from dropping off Brendan and Trent after they had to eat humble pie, Mik and I saw Mr Harvey leaving Mrs Tran's home, trying to fix his clothes as he did. It was so late at night, he probably thought everyone was sleeping."

"Oh, wow." Diana blinked. "That's not going to stay secret for much longer though. I mean, this _is_ Smallville we're talking about. It's _tiny_ here. If you and Mikhail saw him then others might have as well."

Lucas grinned. "A catfight between the teachers would be _awesome_."

Diana raised an eyebrow at him, visibly unimpressed with this declaration.

Chloe turned the page and began reading about the background of the newest spell the book was describing, but a bit of the conversation Whitney and Mikhail were having caught her attention.

"From what we were told, Coach Teague _is_ awake, but he suffered a concussion and has been on bed rest this whole time." Whitney made a face. "A couple of the guys have gone to see him and say that he seems to be okay, just bored stiff in bed."

"When's he planning on returning to school?" Mikhail wanted to know.

"Not sure, I didn't really ask." Whitney shrugged. "I _did_ hear that there were a lot of vans parked outside the Luthor place though, as if they were planning something."

Chloe reached for her phone and checked it yet again and yet still nothing from Clark, Lana or Pete. Ever since that comment from that guy in the school, she'd felt paranoid and started texting and emailing her friends, putting aside her hurt for their lack of communication during the time of her father's death, and yet still no one answered her. She was beginning to get seriously worried... worried enough that if she didn't hear from them by Friday, she was going to go to Potter's Potts to see if Nell had.

A knock sounded at the door, Chloe closing the book and putting it on the side table as she walked past Byron and Adam to peek out of the peephole, a frown marking her features. "Who the hell?" She unlocked the door before pulling it open to reveal the man in a knight costume. "Can I help you?"

"I wish to address the mistress of the house."

Chloe blinked, a little freaked, the quiet behind her proving that everyone else was paying rapt attention to them. "I guess that would be me."

He smiled and gave a flourish of a bow. "It is my greatest honor to provide you, my lady, with an invitation to the ball."

Behind her, she could hear Faye saying, "_Did he just say __**ball**__?_"

"Ball," Chloe repeated the word, confused.

He pulled out a golden card out of his cape and handed it to her. "You have been cordially invited to the grand ball that will be held in the ballroom of Luthor Manor. Dress code and other information can be found on the invitation, which you must present at the door if you and your courtier wish to be allowed entrance into the ball of all balls!" And with that he bowed and pranced away.

Chloe watched him head to the house next door, and then turned to look in the opposite direction to see her neighbor staring at her with the same "what the hell?" expression she was sure she wore herself.

The neighbor waved, the invitation in his hand.

Chloe waved back, slipping inside the house and closing the door to the sound of the medieval knight beginning his glorious explanation to her _other_ confused neighbor.

"What is this, Cinderella?" Greg made a face, the first to reach her as everyone crammed around the blonde.

Chloe opened the invitation and read the gold, cursive writing. "You are cordially invited to Lionel Luthor's ball, which will take place in the Luthor Manor ballroom this Friday night. The ball will start promptly at eight o'clock and the dress code is Fairytale Elegance, so dress to impress. Present this invitation at the gates so that you and your plus one won't get turned away as it is a highly exclusive affaire."

"Can I just be the first to say: what the hell?" Cassie made a face, shaking her head. "A _ball_?"

"This is obviously not just a ball. There's got to be more to it than that." Lucas eyed the invitation. "I refuse to believe that I'm blood related to anyone who would just through a _ball_ for the heck of it."

"It feels like a trap of some sort." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't go."

"No, she should." Diana had an odd expression on her face. "They wouldn't do anything in front of so many other people, especially if they're a part of this community. It'll be safe and maybe she can talk to Lex and figure out exactly what's going on. Ever since Lionel and his group have arrived, Lex and his have been basically grounded at home. It would be a good chance to talk to Lex and have it not be suspicious."

"She has a point." Faye gave a sigh. "But I still don't like this. It still seems suspicious. The Luthors don't seem like the type to willingly mingle with the common folk like this. It _does_ feel trap-ish."

Byron was silent, away from the group, and yet still watching in concern.

Adam was by the window, staring out. "You might want to get the door."

Chloe turned at that and went to the door, opening it just as Davis Bloome was about to knock.

His eyes widened as he retrieved his hand. "Hi."

"_Davis_." She gave him a confused smile. "Hi."

"You're no doubt wondering why I'm here," Davis announced, seeming quite uncomfortable and self-conscious as he stood on her doorstop.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with _this_." She held up the invitation.

"Oh, you got it already. Good. Makes this less awkward." Davis shook his head, lifting his gaze from the card to her face. "I'd like to invite you to be my Plus One at the ball. That way two of your Circle can also attend using your invitation. The cards don't have names and the guards have to let in a couple if they have the golden invitation."

Chloe's eyes widened, realizing that Davis was helping her greatly by doing this. "Did Lex send you to do this?"

He flinched slightly, shaking his head. "No. This was my own initiative. Lex and Jason know you so well, I feel the desire to as well, to extend my hand in friendship."

She stared up at the guy she really hadn't gotten to know at all despite the fact that he was technically the first of Lex's Circle that she'd actually met, or at least _seen_. There was something about him that made her feel a little wary, but she shrugged it off as guilt and also the fact that he was best friends with Jason. But considering that she and Jason had never been anything and probably would never be anything, she figured there was no harm in accepting the offer. "That's so – _thank you_." She licked her lips, a little nervous. "So I'll see you at the gate?"

"No, I'll come and pick you up." He flashed her a grin. "If you'd like me to get you a gown-"

"I'll handle that, thanks." Chloe smiled at him, holding the invitation to her chest.

Davis took a step towards her. "Thank you for accepting."

She opened her mouth to tell him it was nothing when Adam Knight stepped in between them, his back to Chloe. She blinked, not at all sure what the hell was wrong with him but knowing she must look like a fool because she could see Adam but Davis _could__n't_ and it would probably look to him like she was staring all over the place.

Sidestepping Adam, Chloe opened her mouth when Adam sidestepped once more.

What the hell was _wrong_ with him?

"I – we'll have a great time, I'm sure." Chloe smiled at the general region in the back of Adam's head where she assumed Davis' face to be. "Have a good night, Davis."

"You too, Chloe." And with that he turned and left, walking away.

Chloe waited until he'd walked around the corner before slapping the back of Adam's head with her invitation. "What the hell was _that_ about?"

Byron appeared at her side, looking in the direction Davis had disappeared to. "Who was that?"

"Davis Bloome. He belongs to Lex's Circle." She slapped at Adam's hands as the guy began shepherding her back into the house. "What is _wrong_ with you tonight, Knight?"

Byron entered the house and closed the door behind him, a disturbed expression on his face.

"You're not going with him," Adam told Chloe pointblank.

She blinked up at him in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"I've got a bad feeling about him, Chloe. You're not going with him," Adam declared.

"A bad feeling? About _Davis_?" Chloe frowned before shaking her head. "Adam, thanks for trying to protect me, but I'm going to the ball with Davis Bloome. It frees up this ticket for two of my Circle to be there as well. It makes the most sense."

"I'm not going," Lucas announced, hands up, almost as if scared to be asked. "I wouldn't go to a Luthor party if I was _paid_ to."

"Costume parties are _usually_ my thing, but this one will probably be filled with old people so it'll be lame." Faye made up her face. "I'd be so bored to tears, I wouldn't be alert even if something horrible _did _happen. Plus, the Carrie Diaries are on Friday nights and we don't have TiVo."

Byron merely leaned against the door, eyes narrowed as he stared ahead in silence, seemingly deep in thought.

"Well, I'm going," Whitney declared, arms folded over his chest. "Like Adam, I don't like the thought of you going and I'd feel better if I was around to keep an eye on you."

"I'm just going to say this to you once." Mikhail raised an eyebrow at Whitney. "You better be secure in your manhood because I'm going too."

Faye burst out laughing.

Diana bit her bottom lip, obviously amused too and yet trying to contain it. "Are you sure that's the wisest choice? This is a small town with closed minds. Even though neither of you are gay the fact that you'd be arriving together – there'd be rumors."

"I don't care." Mikhail shrugged, having his usual attitude towards everything. "If he does, he can stay. But _I'm_ going." He raised an eyebrow at Diana and Cassie. "I'd be forced to take one of _you two_, but I'm going nonetheless."

"Between rumors of being gay or incestuous, which shall win?" Faye was having far too much fun at the moment.

Chloe rolled her eyes, moving past Adam. "I'm tired, guys. I'm taking the book to bed." She grabbed the book, her phone (still nothing from the missing trio), and gave her siblings and friends a smile before going upstairs.

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Davis admittedly felt a little guilty for what he'd just done, but he figured that he really shouldn't. From what he could tell, Jason seemed to be avoiding the girl so he really couldn't have cared much about her and Lex had told them all that it would be a mistake to be anything more than friendly acquaintances or allies with Chloe, so obviously Lex didn't care that much for her either. In other words, Davis didn't see why he should feel guilty at all now. He merely wanted to have the same opportunity Lex and Jason both had; to talk to the Firstborn, to grow – friendly. If something else happened... then he wouldn't complain.

Hurrying up the steps to the Luthor Manor, Davis missed a step as pain wracked through his body, the guy barley managing to steady himself as he bent on his knees, dizziness filling him and the world spinning as something hot and painful clawed in his chest.

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As Chloe emerged from the bathroom wearing shorts and a long t-shirt, her wet hair up in a towel, she paused for a second when she saw Adam sitting Indian Style on his blow-up bed, watching her. She hadn't heard him enter and was a little surprised to see him, but shrugged it off, moving past him onto the bed as she sat down and began drying her hair as best as she could.

"Shouldn't things be more awkward between you and Whitney?"

Chloe looked up at that, pulling the towel away. "Huh?"

"You were kissing while he was naked." Adam turned to face her. "I mightn't have ever had a relationship – but doesn't that usually mark a special moment in a relationship? Isn't that second base or something?"

Chloe's eyes widened, the blonde blushing in horror to know that someone had witnessed that. She threw herself sideways on the bed and grabbed a pillow, bringing it to cover her face as she tried to get composure. Her face, she knew, was beet red.

The pillow was yanked away, Adam eyeing her curiously.

Yanking the pillow back, Chloe groaned as she sat up. "It's different with Whitney. He-I-" She took in a deep breath, knowing she wouldn't be able to accurately explain, to fully convey with mere words the ease she felt with the Quarterback. "We both know things wouldn't work out with us romantically but – uh – god this is embarrassing." She fanned herself, face burning. "I know not to-and he knows not to as well. He did kissed me to force me to see that I could control the Enthrallment, to protect him, and I kissed him to prove it to myself. It – we're kissing friends when it's necessary. I mean, it's, uh, it's complicated. He told me he meant nothing weird with his kiss and I told him _I_ meant nothing weird with _my_ kiss so it's all good. We know not to make a big deal about it." She knew it was all a mess of words and that she was probably confusing Adam even more, but she really couldn't explain it any better when she didn't understand it much better herself. Her eyes suddenly widened as she thought of something. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" When Adam shook his head she let out a sigh of relief. "_Good_. I feel that I can speak for Whitney when I say we'd rather others not know. They wouldn't get it. There'd be teasing. It would be awkward."

Adam frowned as he sat up straight on the blow up bed. "What about Jason?"

"What _about_ Jason?" Chloe was baffled by the unexpected question. "You were there the night he basically called me a hussy for kissing all of his friends, minus Oliver, and said it would be better for us not to interact for a while. There's nothing there, obviously." She looked away, licking her lips. "I always felt something like this might happen. Just sucks that it did." Taking in a deep breath she returned her orbs to Adam with a little smile. "I've learned my lesson. No getting emotionally attached to older, more experienced witches who belong to a Circle that thinks they own me." She nodded, straightening as she smiled at Adam a little more cheerfully. "Now that I know that I _can_ kiss someone who isn't one of the Six without my Enthrallment messing it all up, it's opened a _lot_ more options for me anyway so I'll be fine."

"I do not like the feeling I got from this Davis guy," Adam finally announced, changing the subject completely once more.

Chloe blinked, letting out a little laughter. "You're being so random tonight, Adam!"

He seemed far from amused. "There's just something I don't like, Chloe. I don't want you going with him to that party."

"It'll be _fine__,_ Adam." Chloe smiled. "Mikhail and Whitney will both be there." Her smile turned mischievous as she leaned forwards, closer to him. "I have a feeling _you_ are going to be there too."

Adam eyed her silently before his blues gazed away and he licked his lips. "Chloe, I'm going to tell you what I overheard that day your father cursed me."

Her smile drained from her face, eyes widening. "But that's your bargaining chip to make sure I try and remove the curse on you."

He gave a little dark chuckle, still not looking at her. "Chloe, I know you enough to know that even if I tell you, you're still going to help me. You won't go back on your word. You're not that type of person."

Chloe gulped.

Adam took in a deep breath before kneeling and pressing up, bringing his face close to Chloe's, staring into her greens in silence before reaching out and placing his hand on her forehead, darkness consuming.

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A young Adam Knight had strayed from where his older brothers and parents were in the drawing room, the youngest boy's curiosity having gotten the better of him and he'd managed to get himself lost in the large Manor. He wasn't too disturbed by this though. It wouldn't have been the first time that he'd gotten lost due to his intense curiosity and mother and father had always managed to find him, or one of his older brothers had. That was the good thing about having five older brothers; there was always someone to look out for him and watch his back when he needed them the most.

Somehow, he'd found his way into a room filled with protection symbols, the boy recognizing them from his big brothers' study books. He was still too young to learn these sorts of things right now, but he had snuck a look through their text books and knew a couple of them already. He couldn't wait until he could join in on the studies with his brothers.

Hearing footsteps, Adam's eyes widened, knowing he wasn't supposed to be here and mommy and daddy would be mad. That was why he dashed into the closet, closing the door to a crack so he could peer outside in case it was just one of his brothers searching for him. But it wasn't them. Instead Mr Luthor and Mr Balcoin entered the room, both seeming agitated.

"It seems like too risky a move, John." Mr Luthor frowned, closing the door behind them, the symbols coming to life around them, keeping what they were saying inaudible to those outside. "There was a _reason_ why he was placed there. We both know that."

"You _have_ your family, Lionel," John snapped at him. "Everyone out there, _every_ one of the Six, have their children with them. All except for _me_. The lone Balcoin. I _need_ to do this."

"What if you have a daughter, John?" Lionel frowned. "_Think_ about what you're planning on doing."

"We have already made the pact, Lionel, and you get just as much as I do from it." John came closer. "Anyway, daughters are rarely born to Balcoins, you know that. The chances of me having a girl child are slim."

"And what if you have a daughter?" Lionel pressed. "What if your _Firstborn_ is female?"

John sneered at that. "Considering my family tree, that is _highly_ unlikely Lionel. We've only ever had _two_. The Balcoin family has almost always been headed by men and consists mostly of them as well."

Lionel shook his head. "I am done trying to reason with you. If you wish to risk any girl-child you may have then it is your decision to make. I only stand to gain from this proposition of yours. But we still need another of the Six. At least Three must be present if we wish to break through the barrier and enter the realm where he dwells." He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't involve Tentagel or Wylt, even Sigan seems iffy. But Le Fay would be open to this."

John nodded. "I thought so, too. I will go to Janus and speak to him personally about this. With him on our side, we'll be able to breach the lock on the shadow realm he's been imprisoned in and have an audience with him. He'll give us all we've ever wanted in return for what we have to offer."

"Are you sure of that?" Lionel raised an eyebrow. "He _has_ reason to hold a grudge against any Balcoin."

"What grudge would hold up against the offer to be finally free?" John wanted to know.

Lionel took in a deep breath. "There was a reason _why_ the Seven became the Six, John. Do not take what we are about to do so lightly."

"Believe me, Lionel, I don't." John smirked. "This is the right thing for us to do if we _truly_ want an edge in this game. He can give us everything we've ever wanted, pure _power_, lost _knowledge _– we _need_ him."

"And if it does go pear-shaped, we'll pay the piper." Lionel chuckled darkly. "The next few years will be quite enlightening as to whether we live to regret this or wonder why we hadn't done so sooner." He smirked. "If we pull this off, we shall need your Firstborn in case this all goes to hell. He'll be the only Ace in the Hole we'll have, especially considering what will be running through his veins."

"Leave that to me, Lionel."

"Better pray you're right, John, about your chances of conceiving a daughter being near impossible." Lionel moved towards the door. "And that the idea of your Firstborn being a girl near _laughable_." He paused by the door. "Because should things work out otherwise, and the impossible prove to be anything but, our Ace in the Hole will become a highly dangerous card to be holding in our deck, especially considering who we'd be playing against." He raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I won't trade her in should it come to that. With what I'm about to do, I'll have every right to do so, especially if you are not alive when push comes to shove. But don't worry, my boy, you will have other children. It won't be the end of your family tree."

John frowned darkly at his friend.

"Good, I see you're _truly_ thinking of the ramifications." Lionel smirked. "It will make this whole game _much_ more interesting now."

And with that, Lionel Luthor left the room.

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Chloe gasped as she found herself back in her bedroom, staring at Adam. "When dad told me that the person who'd killed him was a monstrously powerful man with a hateful, _obsessive_ vendetta against the Balcoins, he was talking about this man, wasn't he? He was talking about someone from a _Seventh_ Original Witch family – someone whose family seems to have completely disappeared, every trace of them removed from even our books of shadows." She gulped as it hit her, hard. "He was talking about a man my father, Lionel Luthor, and this Janus Le Fay freed from this 'shadow realm'."

Adam took in a deep breath before he nodded.

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**TBC**


	68. Visiting & Poker & Shopping

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Chloe _really_ didn't want to be here right now, but she really didn't have any other choice given the fact that during one of Mrs Kent's many visits to the house (the woman was being incredible and supportive and doing her best to help Chloe around the house with the teens), she'd subtly asked about Clark and Mrs Kent had admitted that neither she nor Jonathan had heard from him in a while. And considering Pete's parents had never returned and Chloe didn't have their numbers, there was only one other person she could go to ask. That didn't mean that she liked it though. Things between her and Nell Potter had never been spectacularly good and, especially after their last confrontation, she had a feeling Nell wouldn't be too forthcoming with help.

Great.

"Well, are we going in or are we just gonna look at the shop?" Greg wanted to know, eyebrow raised.

Whitney reached out behind Chloe and slapped the back of Greg's head.

"Hands to yourself, Legs." Greg had taken to calling Whitney that ever since the naked incident, taking great pleasure in taunting the boy.

Chloe sighed, shaking her head as she reached out from her sides to grab both of their earlobes, giving them a soft little tug, not enough to hurt but enough to draw their attention back on her. "Behave, you two."

"Where's the fun in that?" Greg smirked.

"You sure you wanna talk to her?" Whitney ignored Greg, eyeing Chloe instead.

Chloe nodded, letting go of their earlobes to loop her arms around theirs and giving the two boys a little squeeze. "I've got my boys with me, I'll be fine."

Whitney gave her a small smile.

Greg grinned broadly. "Damned straight!"

Pressing up on her toes, Chloe pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek and then Whitney's before letting go of their arms and moving forwards, pushing open the door and smiling when the first person she saw was... "Linda!"

"_Chloe_!" Linda smiled as she straightened up from where she'd been arranging some flower pots, going to hug the blonde tightly. "I've missed you! How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks." Chloe smiled up at her when they finally pulled away. "How are the kids and your grandmother?"

"All better than me." And yet Linda was grinning brightly. "Have you married Luthor or Teague yet?"

Chloe shook her head, amused with Linda's bright plans for her future. "Not going to happen."

"Don't lose faith, hon. More and more rich people seem to be coming to Smallville for a reason," Linda declared before flinching when the door behind her swung closed. "I'll, uh, check the plants over there." And with that she hurried off, revealing Nell Potter standing behind the counter, having just arrived from the back room.

Nell raised an eyebrow as she eyed them. "Well, this was quicker than I thought it would be."

"Hello to you too Nell." Greg grinned flirtatiously. "_Love_ the shirt."

Nell's gaze went down to her low-cut top and then back to him and then shook her head, going to Chloe. "I wondered how long it would take for your high and mighty attitude to wear down and for you to realize you need me. I thought it would be a bit longer because you have your parents' stubborn pride, but given the fact that Gabe is dead and Moria has abandoned you once more, I realize you must understand the position you are in and that you need me."

Chloe clenched her fists yet kept her temper in check, reminding herself that she needed Nell's help. "Have you heard from Lana lately? Or the boys? Have any of them gotten into contact with you?"

Nell blinked, obviously not having expected that, before she raised her chin. "If I had, I would have told her how you're trying to steal half of _her_ Circle and she'd be back to remind you _who_ is boss."

There was no way slamming Nell into the wall would help things, even if it would make Chloe feel a little better, so the blonde restrained herself. "If you hear from them, could you let them know that I need to talk to them?"

"Why would I?" Nell wanted to know.

"Okay, that's _enough_." Whitney was, surprisingly enough, the one that snapped. "You don't want to be helpful? _Fine_. We don't have time to play games with you and your bruised ego." He turned to Chloe, hand curling around her upper arm. "Let's go. We shouldn't have come here."

Greg pushed open the door. "Bye, Nell."

Nell's face looked like she'd swallowed a lemon before she opened her mouth as Whitney was escorting Chloe out. "I haven't heard from them in a while."

Chloe turned to look at Nell in worry, slipping from Whitney's grip and heading closer to the older woman. "Doesn't that worry you?"

"Although naive, Lana's powerful; she's the next _head_ of the Thoreaux Circle and she has her two most faithful Circle members with her. She's fine." Nell seemed quite sure of this. "There is nothing and no one that they can't handle together."

Chloe wanted to have this same confidence, and she _had_ as well until that stranger and his comment on Pete. She'd never seen the man before, and he _might_ have helped her get Byron back, but there was something about him that made her stomach queasy and her skin crawl and her heart race in unease. The insinuation that he'd come into contact with Pete was disconcerting, as was the radio silence from the trio who'd kept in communication prior to now.

"I'm worried about them." Chloe moved to the counter, staring into Nell's eyes. "I don't have a reason to be, but I _am_. I'm _very_ worried."

Nell frowned.

"You and I are never going to see eye to eye, will _never_ be friends." Chloe laid her hands on the counter between them and turned them so that her scarred palms were facing up. "But I _need_ you to understand that I will _never_ be a part of the Thoreaux Circle. _Never_." She hurried on when Nell opened her mouth. "I don't _care_ that my mother was a part of your Circle and that it's tradition, has been for centuries. I am a part of a greater tradition." Her greens met Nell's browns. "Lana might be the heir to the head of the Thoreaux Circle, but _I am_ the current _Matriarch_ of the _Balcoin_ Circle." She could see Nell's eyes widening. "Whitney and Greg are a part of my growing Circle, and I'm sorry if you see it as me _stealing_ members from Lana but they asked _me_; I didn't recruit them." The girl sent Greg and Whitney a little look before returning her gaze to a silent Nell. "That doesn't mean that I don't care for Lana or her Circle – my two best friends – my _brother _– that Circle is important to me too and I'm _very worried_ about them."

Nell eyed Chloe in silence, obviously highly disturbed, before she took in a deep breath. "When was the last time you talked to any of them?"

"A while back, soon after Clark had arrived in France," Chloe replied.

Nell's eyes widened. "_France_? What were they doing there?"

"I don't know." Chloe frowned. "But Pete called for Clark saying it was urgent that he come."

That disturbed expression grew on Nell's face. "We have – history – in France. Bad history." She took in a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. "I still have some contacts there. I'll get in contact with them and see what they can tell me." The woman sent Chloe a little look. "I'll let you know whatever I find out as soon as I do."

Chloe nodded, realizing that, surprisingly, she was going to be working with Nell Potter. "And should I find out anything, I'll let _you_ know."

Nell nodded silently.

"Have a good evening, Prunella." Chloe turned and made for the door.

"H-how did you know what Nell stood for?" Nell's voice asked from behind her. "I've let everyone assume it's short for Nelly."

Greg and Whitney shared a little smirk.

Chloe did as well before turning to Nell. "You'd have to have been there to get it." And with that, she exited Potter's Potts on a high note.

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"Definitely _this_ one," Faye declared, holding a rocker-punk looking gown that was both black and gold.

"You've got to be kidding me." Cassie rolled her eyes. "The card said Fairy Tale Elegance... not Punk Rock Princess." She raised the fairy-princess white gown instead. "This is much more fitting for the event."

"It's not the right color for her. It'll make her look too pale," Diana interjected, shaking her head as she held up a blood red, off the shoulder gown. "This will play with her skin tone and make a nice contrast."

The three girls glared at each other, still holding up their choices and refusing to back down, each declaring why their pick was definitely the one that should be chosen. When Chloe had sent them off to buy a gown for her after asking Marx about a good place to shop, it was Chloe's intention for this to be a bonding moment. What girl didn't like to go shopping? And yet the three girls hadn't agreed on _anything_ so far. They hadn't liked the same dresses or shoes or accessories. It had been one constant argument after the other and if something didn't happen soon this might go to blows.

"If I may make a suggestion," a suave voice declared behind them.

Diana turned, eyes widening when they fell upon an extremely handsome young man who seemed a couple of years older than them.

"What do _you_ want?" Faye mumbled, eyeing him in distrust.

"Is _that_ the thanks I get for not only saving your life, but buying you a first class airplane ticket?" The guy smirked at the unimpressed brunette.

Cassie blinked, turning to Faye. "You know him?"

"Our lives didn't need saving, Chloe and I had it all under control. _You_ stepped in to save _everyone else's_ lives." Faye stabbed her finger in his direction before huffing and giving a little unhappy smile. "Girls, meet Julian Luthor. Lex's little brother."

Diana's eyes widened as she turned towards the guy, who _did_ somewhat resembled Lex but with hair and without the calculating glint in his eyes.

Julian reached for her hand and brought it to his lips in a kiss. "Nice to meet you, Diana." He let her hand slip from his before reaching out and kissing Cassie's. "Cassandra."

Faye raised an eyebrow at him when he turned to her. "Try that slick move on me and I'll _claw_ you."

Julian's lips twitched as he eyed them. "I see that you are trying to pick something out for Chloe to wear to my father's little ball."

"Yes." Cassie nodded, eyeing him warily. "Are you looking for something for yourself?"

"Unfortunately yes. I am forced to attend this event." Julian sighed, genuinely seeming annoyed at it. "I'm surprised that Chloe isn't here herself. She seems like a very in-charge person."

"She has more important things to do right now so she delegated the task to us." Diana cleared her throat, eyeing him curiously. "We're unable to come to an agreement on anything though so she might have to come another day and do it herself anyway."

"The only reason _why_ we're not coming to an agreement is because Cassie seems to want to dress her up like a Disney Princess and Diana thinks she's going to sing in some fifties night club," Faye grumbled, shoving her gown forwards. "This is the next choice."

"If she lived in some steampunk universe!" Cassie snapped.

"It _really_ doesn't look like her." For once, Diana and Cassie were agreeing on something.

"Look, _who_ bought her that new wardrobe she's using? _Me_." Faye was adamant that her choice was the best.

"Ladies," Julian cleared his throat, drawing their narrowed gazes on him, "if I may... All of your choices are – unique – and I applaud your individuality, but to be honest I _know_ what my father's galas are like and none of these would allow her to fit in and yet exude individuality – without some sort of backhanded comment being handed to her."

"Did we ask for your opinion?" Faye wanted to know.

Diana ignored her. "What would you suggest then?"

"Apparently we _have__,__" _Faye grumbled.

"How do we know that you're not just trying to make her look bad?" Cassie wanted to know, ever suspicious.

"Quite simply because it would be less fun to watch people make fun of her than it would be to watch my brother and his Circle squirm uncomfortably at how _nice_ she looks." Julian smirked in amusement. "Who is she attending the function with?"

Diana was surprised that Davis hadn't told anyone.

"You know, for a boy, you sure are nosey." Faye sidestepped the question, hanging up her dress and eyeing him with a raised eyebrow, hands on her hips. "You talk the talk, let's see if you walk the walk."

"I hear a _challenge_." Julian grinned, rolling up his sleeves. "Let's get to work."

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"Now, you see _this_ is a great night." Lucas grinned, eyeing his cards. "A pure boy's night in! No girls in sight!"

Mikhail rolled his eyes, drawing another card from the pack. "Says the guy who flirts with _every single girl_ in this house. Even his _mommy_."

"Hey, deep down inside, Chloe _likes_ it when I call her that." Lucas smirked before turning his gaze to Byron. "Doesn't she?"

Byron, who was still trying to understand the rules of poker, raised an eyebrow. "The last time you called her 'mommy', she turned your hair pink for a day."

"And I totally pulled it off." Lucas grinned brightly, not at all put off, gaze going to where the cards where being held up by the invisible guy in their midst. "So, tell us Adam, what exactly is it like sleeping in her bedroom?" His smirk was mischievous. "In the heat of the night has she kicked off the sheets and her nightdress ridden up?" He leaned closer. "Have you gotten a peek?"

Almost simultaneously, Byron and Mikhail reached out and slapped the back of his head.

"That hurt!" Lucas cried out, putting down his cards and rubbing the back of his head. "The hell?"

"You're talking about our sister," Mikhail reminded, sharing a little look with Byron.

"Not cool," Byron agreed.

"Geeze, _I'm_ not the one _sleeping_ with her!" Lucas continued to rub the back of his head.

A pen lifted to write on a notepad next to where Adam was sitting. _**Don't be crude. I sleep on the blow up mattress on the floor.**_

"See?" Byron raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sure there's space on one of _our_ floors for him," Lucas pointed out, not letting go of this point. "And yet he's remained with Chloe."

Mikhail's dark gaze turned to Adam, or Adam's cards since the guy was invisible. "He has a point, you know."

There was a pause and then the pen moved over the notepad again. _**At least I haven't gone through her underwear drawer like Lucas has.**_

"DUDE!" Lucas went beet red, eyes wide as he saw the glares Byron and Mikhail were giving him. "It was only that once! I swear!"

Lucas made it a point to _never _bring up Adam's sleeping arrangements _ever_ again.

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"I _hate_ you," Faye declared vehemently.

Cassie had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from smiling in dark amusement.

Diana, on the other hand, was smiling brightly. "Come on, Faye. You've got to give him credit. It's _beautiful_."

Julian smirked as he held out the gown he'd finally chosen, holding it up for the girls' approval. "It is."

"Don't toot your own horn. It's not _classy_," Faye grumbled at Julian before making a pained face. "I _hate_ myself for saying this – but I think she'll love that dress and I don't hate it either."

"It's got my vote," Cassie declared, giving Julian a thumbs up.

"Mine too." Diana grinned.

Faye pouted. "_Fine_. Whatever."

"Good." Julian grinned, passing the dress to the saleswoman who'd been waiting in the background before he turned to the girls. "Next on the list: _shoes_." He offered Cassie and Diana his arms to loop theirs around, the girls sending him darkly amused looks before doing so, letting him whisk them to another part of the extravagant store.

"Wait, _what_?" Faye's eyes widened in horror at the thought of someone else picking out shoes, the brunette hurrying after the three ahead of her. "_No!_ Wait! I refuse!"

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"The construction is coming along _much_ faster than I would have anticipated," Greg announced, hands in his pockets as he sat on the hood of Whitney's truck, the three of them at Miller's Field watching the construction of "Casa Balcoin" (as Lucas was calling it). Even in the night, the working was continuing thanks to the fact that they had many different shifts of workers, which meant that the work never ended. There were huge floodlights giving the workers illumination and every time one group of workers' time was up, another was just arriving to take their place. Thanks to that, the construction was coming along very rapidly.

"We still won't be able to move in for a while." Chloe nodded, a smile on her face. "But one day soon, we'll be able to move out of the house we're renting and actually be _home_."

Whitney sent her a sideways look before resting his elbow on top of her shoulder. "You sure you can afford something this-this-"

"The word _humongous _comes to mind," Greg prompted.

Chloe chuckled.

Whitney made a face. "I was going for _expensive_."

"I can afford it," Chloe assured him. "I want it to be the Balcoin Homebase, with enough room for meetings with the Edge City boys. Trent and Brendan's visit showed me that I need to start getting more involved with them as well. They were used to John living with them, constantly exerting his presence and protection, as well as his influence, and they need to know that I haven't abandoned them. It's why this home isn't just for me or my siblings, it's for _everyone_."

"You bleeding heart," Greg teased.

"Shut up." Chloe pouted, yet was smiling before she blinked and turned to Greg. "Do you need me to help you run lines tonight?"

"Nah, I'm good for tonight." Greg shook his head.

Whitney grinned. "You're helping him?"

"Of course." Chloe grinned brightly. "I've never really been into drama, or Shakespeare, but I'm having fun helping Greg – even though he seems to know most of his lines already."

"I'm not _that_ great. I only remember the parts that mom used to read over and over again out loud all the time." He turned his dark gaze to Whitney. "She's a Willy Shakes buff."

"I see." Whitney nodded.

"No, you don't, he's _great. _Just watch this." Chloe turned to Greg and cleared her throat. "Now, when thou wakest, with thine own fool's eyes peep."

Greg threw himself off of the truck, hand to his puffed out chest. "Sound, music! Come, my queen, take hands with me, and rock the ground whereon these sleepers be." He held the hand of some invisible person, smiling into her imaginary face. "Now thou and I are new in amity, and will to-morrow midnight solemnly dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly. And bless it to all fair prosperity. There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be wedded, with Theseus, all in jollity."

Chloe moved closer to Greg, as if trying to catch his attention and draw it from the queen. "Fairy king, attend and mark: I do hear the morning lark."

Greg nodded to Chloe, acknowledging her words, before turning to the invisible woman. "Then, my queen, in silence sad, trip we after the night's shade. We the globe can compass soon, swifter than the wandering moon."

Chloe grinned brightly, turning to Whitney. "What did I tell you? He's great."

"You're not too bad yourself." Whitney chuckled before turning to Greg. "Who knew you had such hidden depths under all that hair gel?"

"Bite me." And yet Greg was grinning.

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"So, I love everything we got tonight and I think Chloe's going to as well." Cassie, sitting in the backseat of Chloe's car, caressed the dress, eyeing the other bags of things. "Who would have thought a straight guy would have such good taste?"

"And he _knows_ it," Faye growled, leaning with her forehead against the window. "Neither of you two can fall for his oozy charm, you hear me? Tonight was probably a way to get in with us. I don't trust any Luthor."

"Not even Lucas?" Diana asked curiously from behind the driver's seat.

"One, I'm the first to tell him to his face that he's shady," Faye declared. "Second, he's a default Luthor, that doesn't count. So I trust him as much as I trust any guy, which isn't much, but much more than a Luthor!"

"Really makes you wonder, though." Cassie stared ahead of her.

"About what?" Diana wanted to know, the brunette realizing in surprise that this was actually the first time she and Cassie had willingly talked to each other.

Chloe's plan mightn't have been so flawed afterall.

Cassie frowned. "This ball. Julian insinuated he's not a part of Lionel's dealings and yet he is being 'forced' to go." She took in a deep breath, face dark. "Makes me wonder what is so special about that ball."

Silence descended in the car as, with those words, worry took seed in their stomach.

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**TBC**


	69. Florence Nightingale

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Chloe stumbled down the stairs and froze, all the sleep disappearing as she watched Dark Byron lift both Mikhail and Lucas by their throats before bringing their heads together hard and throwing them against the wall. Cassie was bent over, groaning, holding her ribs. Diana held her hands out to Byron, a dark bruise forming on her cheek as the girl tried to calm him down but had little success. Byron stormed towards her, his nails seeming to grow like claws as he reached for her.

"_Byron__,__ stop_!" Chloe yelled, her youngest brother freezing.

"I don't know what happened." Faye, the one who'd raced upstairs and awoken the blonde, was behind her. "He just started going insane and-!"

Byron turned towards Chloe, snarling.

Chloe kept his gaze in hers as she took the last couple of steps down into the basement, walking slowly towards Byron.

He snarled.

She hissed.

Byron's black eyes widened as he whimpered, pulling back, turning away from her and crouching down, curling into himself like a scared dog.

"_Byron_..." Chloe reached his side and bent on her knees, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Byron, it's _me_. What happened?"

"It... It _hurts_..." His voice was distorted, pained. "Make it stop. Make it stop!"

Chloe wrapped her arms around his large frame, resting her cheek against Byron's back as she closed her eyes. "It's going to be alright, Byron. Just calm down. Please, calm down."

Lucas and Mikhail groaned, sitting up from the floor, holding their heads as their gazes went to Chloe.

Byron turned rapidly, the movement shocking Chloe into falling on her butt on the cold floor as he wrapped his arms around her. The boy hid his face in her shirt as he seemed to wrap his trembling body around her. Those abnormal muscles were rippling, his veins throbbing, his hold on her tight… and yet it was obvious that, while he was in agony, he was trying not to hurt her.

Chloe softly caressed Byron's hair as she hummed, gaze going silently to the others in question.

Lucas nodded that he was fine.

So did Mikhail.

Cassie merely sat down, leaning hard against the wall as she winced, still holding her side.

Diana's dark eyes were on Byron in worry, nibbling her bottom lip.

Faye sat down on the bottom step, leaning her head against the railing with Adam sitting a couple of steps above.

"So... rry..." Byron's voice trembled as he cried, his body still rippling. "It... hurts... _so badly_..."

Chloe closed her eyes against the pain in his voice, cradling his head as she pressed a kiss to his dark locks, not sure what to do, what she _could_ do. The blonde wished to the gods that she really could heal, and yet all she could do was cry silently as she held onto Byron and be there with him as this sickness wracked his body. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, crying softly while Byron cried into her lap, but finally she felt his body relaxing, the shift disappearing as his body returned to normal. And as the blonde felt him go limp against her, she realized he'd somehow managed to fall asleep.

"I heard him destroying things, growling," Mikhail sighed. "We thought we could maybe talk him down. There's no sunlight, it isn't even _morning _– but he overpowered us."

"And us when we came down." Diana sent Cassie and Faye a look.

"I'm surprised you could sleep through it," Cassie whispered.

Chloe knew why, lowering her head. "I'd taken a sleeping pill – I haven't been sleeping well."

"It's a good thing I came to get you, then," Faye interjected. "Or he would have pulled someone _apart_."

"What _happened_ to him?" Diana asked softly.

"The sickness is getting worse," Adam declared from above.

Chloe nodded her agreement, sighing as she continued to caress Byron's hair. "His sickness is getting stronger." She ran her free hand over her face. "I need to find a way to help him. I _promised_ him I'd help him and yet so far I've been useless."

"Chloe, you're doing the best you can." Diana frowned. "You're _trying_."

"Obviously not hard enough." The Firstborn sighed, gaze lowering to her youngest brother. "I bet John would have known how to help him."

Mikhail snorted. "Would it have been to his advantage to cure him?" When he noticed the looks he was getting for that, he looked away, uncomfortable. "In this state, Byron is less susceptible to magic; most of our spells didn't _faze_ him. If dad had known about that, he might have wanted to keep him that way as a warrior."

Cassie and Diana shared a look.

Lucas seemed highly uncomfortable.

Faye, as always, never had a problem speaking what was on her mind. "Your dad was a real _dick_."

"No, he – he had his reasons for everything he did." Mikhail shrugged, looking away, still trying to be faithful to the man who'd raised him. "Even if they seemed a bit questionable."

Chloe's gaze lowered to Byron and he slowly levitated into the air, still sleeping, the blonde steering him back into bed, pulling the sheets around him as she sighed, staring into his now normal face and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. She then turned to the others and motioned for them to go up, the blonde following up after them, leaving the dim lights on because, after everything he'd gone through, Byron had an aversion to complete darkness.

Once above, Chloe closed the door and motioned for everyone to go to the living room. "Faye, come and help me in the kitchen."

"Aye aye, Captain." Faye followed after her, leaning against the counter. "So, you're having problems sleeping."

"I lie down in bed at night and have so many thoughts, I can't go to sleep." Chloe opened the freezer and pulled out the ice. "Get pain killers but don't give it to anyone yet. I want to make sure nothing's broken or that there isn't a concussion. Also, get the first aid kit in my bedroom."

Faye nodded, hurrying out.

Bringing the ice cube containers and two towels, Chloe returned to the living room, eyeing the wounded and mentally triaging. "Cassie, can you stand?"

She nodded, wincing as she stood.

"Boys, look away. Diana, hurt them if they look." Chloe put down the things she'd brought on the side table as she reached her youngest sister. "Lift your shirt. I need to make sure you've only bruised and not broken your ribs. If it's broken, I need to take you to the hospital immediately because it could puncture a lung or another organ."

Cassie winced as she breathed but did so, raising her shirt on the side.

Lightly running her hand over Cassie's ribcage, Chloe could tell that the area around the injured rib was swollen but there weren't any huge protrusions or dents, which meant it was most like just bruised or maybe cracked. "It doesn't seem to be broken, but I'd feel better if we went to the hospital tomorrow at least." She emptied a few ice cubes into one of the towels, wrapping the ends together before pressing it softly against the bruised area.

"I'm _fine_." Cassie hissed at the pain, replacing Chloe's hand on the towel with her own, keeping it against the bruised area as she sat down once more. "I don't need to go to the hospital."

Faye arrived. "Got the pain killers and the first aid kit!"

"Thanks." Chloe took the kit from her. "Could you give two pain killers to Diana and Cassie? Also, put some of the ice into the other towel and pass it to Diana to soothe the swelling in her cheek." She turned to Lucas and Mikhail, not sure exactly which to tend to first. The blonde shook her head as she got two cotton balls and disinfectant. "This might hurt a bit." And with that she reached out with both her hands and began wiping at the broken skin around the huge lumps that were appearing on their foreheads.

Lucas and Mikhail both hissed but didn't move.

"Good boys," Chloe praised with a little smile, throwing the bloodied cotton balls on the ground behind her as she eyed the clean wounds. "I don't think you'll need stitches, but the lump might be there for a day or two. The headache's going to be a mighty one too." She frowned, putting a cream on it to keep them from getting infected before taping a gauze pad to the injuries. "I don't know about a concussion though, so we should go to the hosp-"

"We've had _way_ worse than this and we haven't _ever_ gone to the hospital," Mikhail interrupted, looking uncomfortable and a little bashful. "We've never had a concussion."

"_Or_ pampering of any sort. If we were hurt, we were basically told, and I'm merely paraphrasing here, _rub some dirt in it and take it like a man_!" Lucas grinned up into Chloe's face. "I could get used to having a mother."

Chloe snorted. "Boys don't go through their mother's underwear drawer."

Lucas's eyes went wide as he paled. "You _knew_ about that?"

Chloe merely raised an eyebrow at him before turning to Faye. "Could you get me some more ice, please? These two need a cold compress against their goose eggs."

Faye nodded, getting up and disappearing into the kitchen.

Chloe reached out for the pain meds and passed some to the two boys who dry swallowed. "I want you guys to go rest in your beds but stay up for a while. Keep the bags of ice against your lumps, keep an eye on each other and if either of you begin to manifest symptoms like vomiting, losing your balance, being unable to move one side of your body or double vision, you call me okay? I'll take you to the hospital because it's _serious_." She turned to Cassie and Diana. "You guys as well. Go on back to your beds. No one's going to school tomorrow. You all need rest."

"What about Byron?" Cassie wanted to know, gaze going towards the door to Byron's basement room.

"It'll be fine," Chloe promised. "Go on up. I'll check on you guys later."

Cassie hesitated a second before nodding and grunting as she stood, moving towards the stairs.

Diana bit her bottom lip. "Do you need any help?"

"I'm fine, Diana," Chloe promised. "Go on up and sleep."

"Okay." Diana gave her a little smile. "Night, Chloe."

"Night." Smiling at her sisters, Chloe gave them a little wave as they began to ascend the stairs, before turning her greens on her brother and Lucas. "I'm going to check in on you guys in a an hour or so, wake you up to make sure you're not unconscious, okay?"

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head then groaning at the pain that caused him. "Don't stress over us like this. We're big boys who learned to take care of themselves since they were young."

Mikhail nodded, still not looking at her.

Chloe frowned as she eyed the boys and wondered just how hard John had been on them growing up that they were both so horribly uncomfortable and unused to being cared for like this. "Well, I'm going to do what I want, so deal with me stressing over you two, okay?"

Faye returned with two bags of ice. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Chloe smiled at her before passing the boys the bags, watching them place them gingerly on their bumps. "Go on to bed now, and remember, if you start feeling any sort of symptoms like the ones I described then call for me."

"Yes, _mom_." Lucas rolled his eyes, yet was visibly pleased as he stood, making for the stairs.

Mikhail stood, turned to leave, and then sighed as he turned back to Chloe. "Thank you." And with that, he turned once more and hurried after Lucas.

Chloe smiled crookedly as she watched the two boys go.

Faye collapsed on the sofa Cassie and Diana had vacated. "What are we doing about the Incredible Hulk?"

"I'll keep an eye on him, it's not like I'll be sleeping." Chloe ran her fingers through her unruly hair. "I'll make the rounds and keep an eye on the others, and stay here in case he wakes up and needs me – or is the Dark personality still."

Faye eyed Chloe thoughtfully before shaking her head. "I'd offer to help but you wouldn't accept so all I'm going to say is _try_ to get _some_ sleep in between your Florence Nightingale routines."

"I'll try," Chloe promised with a wry smile, watching Faye also go up the stairs before the blonde turned her gaze towards the door to Byron's room.

Adam sat down next to her. "You should sleep. I'll let you know if he wakes up."

"He's my brother, Adam; my responsibility." She closed her eyes, fighting the tiredness that invaded her now that the adrenaline rush was subsiding. "They _all_ are."

"You're running on fumes as it is."

"And here I thought I was hiding it so well." She gave him a tired smile, turning in the sofa to face him. "Talk to me, keep me awake." She hugged a pillow, getting comfortable. "Tell me a story about young Adam Knight."

Adam eyed her in silence for a moment before turning to fully face her on the sofa and began recounting the time his brother accidentally turned their mother's cat Pumpkin into an actual pumpkin.

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She'd checked on everyone three more times, taking special care for the boys given the fact that two of them could have concussions and one of them could switch to his Dark personality at any given moment. But so far, things seemed to be fine – Lucas and Mikhail merely groaning and protesting every time she woke them up and Byron remaining peacefully asleep. She kept checking up on them though, and while she'd never stopped telling Adam to just go to bed, he'd stayed and kept her company, telling her stories about before he'd become what he was now. She'd probably learnt more about him in that one night than she had in all the time she'd known him.

He'd asked her about her childhood then, about _before_ he'd followed John to Smallville and decided to stay behind. While there really wasn't much to tell in her opinion, Chloe figured it'd help her stay awake so she told him about moving to this "leafy little hamlet", meeting Clark and Pete (Greg having already stopped being their third musketeer by then) and then about her mother leaving them. The story progressed through junior high and the misadventures she, Pete and Clark had had together. Somewhere in the middle of her first year of high school, Chloe must have finally dosed off because the next thing she knew, she was in someone's arms being moved towards her room.

For a split second she thought it was her father, the man having had to do this for her so many times, but reality raced back to her heart-wrenchingly and she knew it couldn't be him. Her sleepy eyes, barely able to keep open, turned upwards as she tilted her head back, surprise filling her as she gazed into Adam's face, her hand clutching in his shirt. "You're getting stronger."

He looked down at that. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Why are you taking me to bed?" she complained despite the fact that her eyes closed and she was barely holding onto consciousness, her words slurring. "I need to stay awake. I need to look after-"

Her door swung open and Adam entered the room, moving her ever closer to her bed, the sheets pulling back as he neared. "You need to sleep. I'll keep an eye out for a bit longer so just rest already. You're going to wear yourself out if you try to keep this pace."

"I – I _have_ to – take care of them – they're-" And yet, as Chloe was lowered into bed, she could feel her desire to fight this waning.

Adam chuckled, pulling the covers over her. "How about you let me take care of _you_ for a change?"

"But..." Chloe's slurred words were halted by his hand caressing her hair. "I..."

"_Sleep_." And with that, Adam turned and left, the door closing behind him.

Chloe tried to stay awake, tried to get up and stumble after him, but for all of her desires, her body wasn't strong enough and she fell into blissful sleep.

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It wasn't that Whitney wasn't happy that Coach Teague had finally returned to school, but he really couldn't concentrate on it given the fact that Diana had called him early enough to tell him what had happened and that none of them would be in school today. He'd worried that something like this would happen with Byron, and he knew that Chloe was running herself ragged with all of her new responsibilities. Having to keep an eye on a ticking time bomb was just adding to her already complicated world. But he liked Byron and knew that Chloe would never give up on the boy, so Whitney knew that there wasn't going to be any restful nights in Chloe's future for a very long time.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, tonight was the big Luthor ball. It was the talk of the whole damned town and those who'd procured invitations were flaunting them around as if they were gold.

"Hey, Whitney." Jason paused by him in the hallway.

"Coach." Whitney nodded, giving him a little smile. "How you feeling?"

"Apparently better than I should." Jason shrugged. "My head hurts a bit and I'm on pain killers, but I've been cleared to come back to work, which is great because I was about to go crazy in the manor."

"Sorry to hear that." And Whitney really did understand because he got cabin sickness too if he was locked in the house for a certain amount of time. "I would have thought things would have been interesting considering the preparations for the big ball are underway."

Something odd passed over Jason's eyes as he nodded. "Uh, is Chloe going?"

Davis _really_ hadn't told anyone, huh?

Whitney wondered why.

"Yeah, she's got a date and everything."

Jason looked away. "Anyone I know?"

"I'm sure it is," Whitney hedged.

"This _is_ a small place." Jason chuckled, not at all sounding amused, before his hazels turned on Whitney. "That night – what happened exactly? All I remember is this pain in the back of my head and then waking up at Lex's. They said they weren't sure what had happened, but that Chloe had said she'd taken care of it. And now everyone is saying that Brent Greene is missing."

Whitney looked around him before moving a little closer, voice lower. "Long story short, Brent tried to sacrifice everyone, especially you, to some Moroccan demon of love and warfare in return for, and I'm guessing here, her to make Chloe fall in love with him forever. Chloe stopped Qandisa from taking the whole damned school and then the creature ate Brent and disappeared."

Jason stared at him. "He'd conjured _Qandisa_? Was he a Dabbler?"

"Nah, he had her ancient spoon."

Jason's eyes widened as he nodded. "I see."

"Coach Teague!" Principle Kwan called him over. "A word, if you would."

"Of course." Jason smiled at him before turning to Whitney. "Thanks for explaining."

Whitney nodded, watching Jason go to Principle Kwan, wondering exactly _how_ pissed the guy would be with him tonight when he realized that Whitney hadn't told him about Davis.

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**TBC**


	70. Leading Up To The Ball

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

**A/N: Somehow I lost this chapter and had to rewrite it-and I have a HORRIBLE memory… *facepalm* …I'm hoping I have not forgotten to add anything important!**

**A/N2: About the DRESS. For those interested in what it looks like, I'll have a manip of Chloe wearing it as the banner for this story for the next couple of chapters :)**

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When Chloe awoke, it was five in the afternoon and she wasn't alone in bed. She didn't know if it was the sleeping pills or her utter tiredness that had her so sleepy and dulled, but she didn't react as quickly or as violent as she would have normally had she awoken with someone else lying on the bed. Instead, the blonde merely opened her eyes and blinked away the sleepiness, a little surprised to see Cassie lying on her stomach, reading a book titled: The Fury, written by someone called L. J. Smith. It seemed to be part of a series.

The older blonde yawned, stretching, inadvertently giving away the fact that she was awake.

Snapping the book closed, Cassie slowly sat up in bed Indian Style, eyeing Chloe curiously. "How are you feeling?"

"I should be asking _you_ that." Chloe gave a tired little smile as she sat up as well. "How's the rib?"

"Painkillers are my new best friend, but at least the swelling has gone down, although I have a _killer_ bruise." Cassie gave a crooked smile.

"Sorry to hear that about the bruise and pain." Chloe sighed. "How's the book?"

"Vampires, romance, the usual." Cassie shrugged, not seeming highly impressed with it so far it would seem. "Sorry for invading your space by the way. Things were just kind of crowded downstairs and, I don't know, I-" She paused, shaking her head. "It was stupid. I don't really know why I was reading in here when I have my own room."

Chloe reached out and placed her hand on Cassie's shoulder. "It's cool. I don't mind."

Cassie gave her a little smile before shaking her head and pulling a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "So, Mikhail is bitching nonstop because Greg's taking his place in the ball tonight due to the fact that he can't stand more than five minutes without getting dizzy and has to sit back down. Though if you ask me I think his vanity won't let him abide being in public while having such a huge and ugly bump on his forehead." She looked far from sympathetic to her brother's plight. "The good thing is that Greg's basically around his size so the clothes we got for Mikhail should fit him."

"Speaking of your little shopping spree, I haven't had time to actually see what you guys picked out for me." Chloe gave her youngest sister a sleepy smile.

"Yeah, about that, we had _help_." Cassie made a face. "Julian Luthor help."

Chloe blinked. "It's interesting how he has a way of popping in during certain circumstances."

Cassie shrugged.

Running fingers through her hair, Chloe finally asked the real question that'd been on her mind. "How are the boys and Diana?"

"Everyone's fine, I guess. Mikhail and Lucas returned to bed. Byron…" Cassie sighed. "Diana and Adam are with him. He won't talk to anyone. I think he thinks we hate him or something. You should probably talk to him."

Chloe nodded, pushing off from the bed. "You need to be lying flat for your ribs." She headed towards the bathroom to brush her teeth before she went downstairs. "You can stay here and continue reading if you like."

Cassie pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled softly. "Thanks."

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"I'm shocked that none of you invited the Balcoin Firstborn to the dance," Tess declared as she went to stand next to her brother on the balcony, staring out as the party planners readied for the ball that would be taking place in a couple of hours. "Especially considering the fact that she's basically the Face That Launched A Thousand Ships, fandom ships at least."

He eyed her curiously, obviously not getting her nerdy references.

"Never mind." Rolling her eyes, Tess sighed as she stared down at some movers. "What's wrong, Lex?"

Lex's gaze followed the poor unfortunate souls having to back around the frozen swan sculpture. "This ball, it just goes to prove that father was lying to all of us, that what we've lost – Patty and her father – all of it was for _nothing_."

Tess' gaze went to the scar around her finger that would forever remind her about her time in captivity. "He must have had a reason, Lex. You know our bastard of a father. He never does anything unless he has a very good reason for it."

He _had_ to have a good reason.

If Tess found out she'd gone through all she had for _nothing_ – she might finally break.

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"Stop it already, it's _embarrassing_." And yet Lucas was leaning into the touch as Chloe checked out the lump on his forehead, which was thankfully much smaller than it had been the night before.

"In a day or so the swelling will go down," Chloe decided, finally releasing her grip on his chin. "Keep putting ice on it though."

"_Yes__,__ mom_," Lucas smart mouthed.

She didn't even react this time, instead turning her attention on Mikhail, who was much more silent throughout her ministrations as she soft brushed his hair out of his face so she could get a better look at his lump. "This one looks better than Lucas'." She grinned. "It's probably because he's got such a big head anyway."

"_Hey!_" Lucas cried out in mock insult.

Mikhail chuckled, amused with his friend getting back some of his own medicine, before his dark orbs went to Chloe once more. "I'm fine."

"When do you have to take your next dose of pain killers?" she asked softly.

"An hour," he replied dutifully, not used to this sort of mothering and pampering or how to react to it.

"Make sure you take it."

"Yes, _mom_." He tried for Lucas' cheeky little title.

Chloe's lips twitched in amusement. "Not you _too_." And yet she laughed as she shook her head before her gaze landed on the door to the basement. "Have you guys gone in to see him?"

"He isn't talking to any of us." Faye finally spoke from where she was drinking a Pepsi.

Taking in a deep breath, obviously worried about the state she'd find their brother in, Chloe patted Mikhail's shoulder and gave him one last little smile before making her way towards the door and Byron.

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"I refuse to have you attending _this ball_ without a date," Genevieve Teague declared, hands on her hips, used to getting her way and not about to stop now as she glared at him. "There must be _at least one_ halfway decent woman in this mediocre little town."

"None you'd approve of, I'm sure." Jason didn't look up from Lex's Bible, Sun Tzu's The Art of War. During the time he'd spent bedridden, the sandy-blonde had asked to borrow the book and had finally read it, trying to figure out why Lex kept re-reading it over and over again, especially during his hardest of times. Surprisingly enough, Jason found an appreciation for the text as well, finding a cove of knowledge embedded in those pages and had already finished the book, finding himself rereading the passages that intrigued or spoke to him the most.

"Well, that's true. All farmers' daughters." Genevieve sniffed at the very thought. "Janus' daughter was unable to procure a date for herself as well."

"That would be because she's an angry harpy who hates men." Jason turned the page, not bothering to look up.

"She doesn't _hate_ men." His mother rolled her eyes. "She just doesn't put up with their crap and has a strong temperament. I like that in a girl. Plus, she's your age, I'm sure you'll have a lot in common."

Unlike Chloe.

"Who is the Balcoin girl going to go to the ball with anyway?" She wasn't even trying to be subtle about the fact that she'd been referencing the girl in her previous statement. "I would have thought that you would have asked her."

"And why would you think that?" He re-read a sentence because she'd distracted him.

"No reason, dear. Just a mother's intuition, which was obviously _wrong_." Genevieve made a face at him. "I'll call Janus and let him know that you will be _delighted_ to escort his beloved daughter to the ball tonight."

As always, he bent to his mother's will. "Of course."

"Good boy." Genevieve smiled in satisfaction at having, once more, gotten her way as she sashayed out of the room.

The second the door closed behind her, Jason snapped the book shut, reciting the sentence he'd been re-reading the whole time his mother had been going on and on. "Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate."

His eyes flashed with magic and he smirked, his pupils dilating slightly.

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Byron sat on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest, gaze on his bare feet as he ignored Diana and the shimmer that was Adam. Snippets from the night before, as well as the darkened bruise on Diana's cheek from where he'd backhanded her so hard she'd fallen to the ground, haunted and screamed at him about what sort of monster he was. He hadn't even had the daylight to blame. It was getting worse, even artificial light was affecting him sometimes, which was why his uncle had left him living in perpetual darkness. His stomach went sick at the memory of living in that dungeon, with those shackles, always feeling drained, alone, blind in the darkness and scared.

He didn't want to go back there, he still had nightmares of it, and yet he knew he'd messed up horribly the night before. He'd tried _so hard_ to pretend he was normal, tried to be helpful and nice and do everything he could to prove that he was worth keeping around. He'd done his best not to be a burden, to do _anything_ to be able to stay, to not be sent back. And yet his Dark side had gone and messed up everything.

Diana kept telling him that no one hated him, that they weren't planning on sending him anywhere, but he didn't believe her lies. She was probably just worried that, with the daylight, if she pissed him off, he'd get in an even stronger state than he'd been last night. She was probably keeping him calm until nightfall when they could tranq him and send him back to Uncle Morgan, who could keep better control over the monster that he truly was.

He didn't want to go!

Hugging his knees tighter, Byron's body shook.

Chloe must be so disgusted with him – that must be the real reason why she hadn't come to see him since he'd awoken. Diana said that Chloe was sleeping, tired, but Byron didn't believe it. Chloe was probably questioning herself as to why she'd brought such a feral beast into her house – had put her _real_ family at risk for the abnormality that was Byron Moore. She probably didn't want to see him. Would probably not say goodbye. Wouldn't let him plead his case. Wouldn't give him another chance. And why should she? She'd taken a risk, had freed him from that darkness, and he'd repaid her by damaging the room she'd given him and hurting the people she cared about. Her family. Not his family. He was a monster and monsters didn't have family. They didn't deserve them.

And yet Byron was desperate to hold on, to stay.

Maybe they'd allow him to remain in the basement if he was shackled again. He could beg Chloe. She might give him another chance if she knew that he was properly contained and couldn't hurt anyone again.

Maybe-!

The door opened and Byron's gaze jerked up, eyes wide to see Chloe as she descended wordlessly. He lowered his gaze immediately, embarrassment and utter shame filing him. How could he ask for another chance? She'd already given him one. He deserved whatever he got.

_But I want to stay..._

Chloe reached the bottom of the steps and he could hear her moving towards him.

_Please don't send me away!_

Byron curled in around himself, hugging his knees so hard, it almost hurt as he closed his eyes tightly, his whole body shivering with repressed emotion.

_Please let me stay!_

He could feel her standing in front of him, facing him.

_Please let me stay with you!_

Warm arms encircled him in, what it took him seconds to realize, was a _hug_, the boy freezing in shock before he felt a soft kiss being pressed against the side of his head.

"Oh, _Byron_," Chloe whispered, voice shaky as she pressed another kiss to him.

A lump lodged itself in his throat. No one had ever kissed him since his mother's death… No one had ever allowed themselves close enough to him to touch much less…

"It wasn't your fault, we _know_ that." Chloe wasn't letting go, wasn't blaming him; he could feel no anger in her body or her tone. "Please, _please_ calm down."

With a whimper, Byron moved so that he could wrap his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shirt as the fifteen year old cried.

_Please don't send me back!_

He held onto her as if to life, disgusted with himself for his trembling, for his desire to beg, to plead when he knew he deserved to go back.

_I don't want to leave..._

"Byron…" Chloe's voice wavered once more as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, her hands caressing his hair soothingly. "You're not going anywhere."

He couldn't believe – couldn't believe she would risk the others – not after having seen the monster unchained.

"You don't seem to understand that you're my _baby brother__,_" Chloe whispered. "We _knew_ about your Dark personality before you moved in with us. Were we surprised he appeared at night? Yes. But we'll learn from it. It just means I have to try harder to find a way to help you. And I _will_ help you. I _promised_ you I would and I'm not going to stop until you don't have to live your life this way – until you're a normal fifteen year old with normal fifteen year old problems."

His trembling grew worse and worse, Byron holding onto her tighter and tighter, this girl his only anchor as slowly he began to believe, to _hope_.

_You're not going to send me away?_

"Listen to me, Byron, okay? Listen closely. I'll tell you this as many times as you need to hear it, but I need you to _believe_ me." Her caresses were so soothing, so lulling. "I know that I'm just a kid as well and hearing this from me can't be all that reassuring, but no matter _what_ you do, I'm going to be here for you. I don't care if you break bones in my body while you're him because _you're_ my little brother and I'm never giving up on you. I might be nothing but a stranger to you right now, but I plan on taking care of you, protecting you, and keeping you safe and happy. This illness you have doesn't make you any less my sibling than any of the others. If anything, it means I'll stick closer to you, overprotect you more." She gave a little dark chuckle. "It's a little funny because my mother was _definitely_ not a role model for me to base myself off of and my father believed in fostering independence in me – but I can already see I'm that overprotective mother who doesn't like to not know where her kids are or what they're doing, to not know if they're safe." She brushed her thumb over the shell of his hair. "And you're my youngest, By. You're the baby of my family."

_Do you mean it? Do you __**really **__mean it?_

"Don't close yourself off from us, okay?" Her voice trembled and she cleared it. "Let us in, Byron. Let me in."

_Can I stay with you? Can I really?_

"_Please let me in_."

Finally, slowly, Byron pulled away enough to tilt his head back, gazing up through his tears into his sister's face, her greens fogged over with tears that slowly made their way down her face as she smiled softly down at him. "I don't want to go away."

Chloe's face twisted slightly as a little cry escaped her lips as she cupped his face and kissed his forehead, her tears falling onto his face and bathing him, baptizing him almost. "You're not going _anywhere_."

Completely breaking, Byron wrapped his arms around her and cried once more, relief unlike any he'd ever felt before coursing through his veins.

He held onto the petite blonde and swore to never ever let go.

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"What game are you playing, Lionel?" Robert Queen slammed his hands down on Lionel's desk, glaring at the leader of his Circle. "You've been lying to us, to your _Circle_, for _years_! You told us that John Balcoin had promised you ownership of his Firstborn! You said that we'd have that power under our control! But this ball – _it was all a lie_! That girl doesn't belong to you! To us!" He slammed his hands down once more. "Why would you lie to us all?"

"I have my reasons, Robert," Lionel assured him tranquilly, not appearing to be bothered by the outburst. "I will impart these reasons to you _after_ tonight's ball."

"Everything with you is lies and intrigue." Robert glared, visibly barely keeping control over his emotions. "_We_ are your Circle, Lionel! We have been for over forty years now! Why would you keep us in the dark over this? Why would you trust John Balcoin and not us? Why would you mislead us the way you have?" Try as he did, he couldn't understand it, couldn't think of any reason that would excuse the man for his behavior. "We've lost Virgil and Lex lost Patricia. For _what_? For a lie!" He shook his head in disgust, in incomprehension. "How could you tell us that would make up for what everyone has suffered because of your lies?"

"It will. That and _so much more_," Lionel promised him serenely. "I understand your frustration, friend. I will not hold this against you as you do not know the truth of the matter. But once it is clarified, I know you will come to me and apologize for doubting that I have the best for my Circle in mind." He smiled. "You just need to _trust_ me."

"That's just the thing, Lionel." Robert sighed, sadness filling him. "Each and every day it gets harder to do that."

Lionel merely folded his hands over his chest.

Shaking his head, Robert Queen walked away.

Lionel Luthor smirked at his back.

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"I really don't know if I should go tonight after Byron-" Chloe was begging, being dragged into her room by Faye and Diana, with Cassie following behind and not helping her in the least bit.

"If you stay, it's just going to be too obvious that it's because of him and you'll just make it worse." Faye rolled her eyes. "The best way for you to show him that things are fine is for you to go out to that party and have a good time like _planned_."

"She wasn't going to have fun but to get information from Lex," Diana reminded Faye before grinning. "Then again, with the dress we got for her, I doubt Davis will let her away from his side long enough for her to actually talk to Lex."

Chloe's radar picked up on that, her eyes widening in slight fear. "Why? What kind of dress is it?" A spark of suspicion rose in her stomach as Cassie closed the bedroom door behind her. "Cassie said that Julian Luthor helped you pick it out. I don't know if I feel comfortable in a dress he picked out."

"You will." Faye totally brushed off her concern as she reached behind her and grabbed her makeup container. "And I have the perfect color scheme to go with it."

"And I know the perfect hairstyle." Diana grinned.

Cassie smirked, obviously enjoying Chloe's discomfort like a bratty little sister would. "Let's not forget my nail polish that compliments the color of the dress."

As Chloe stared at the three girls, she realized in trepidation that there was no way she was getting out of this makeover.

Cinderella was going to the ball… Whether she wanted to or not.

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**TBC**


	71. Belle of the Ball

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"I can't do this." Chloe was hyperventilating, staring at herself in the mirror and shocked at what she saw.

"This girl stands up to demons, Lionel Luthor and her nosy dead relatives – but a dress and heels _terrify_ her," Faye teased before looking up at the clock. "Well, no time to back down now, Cinderella. It's almost time for Davis to come pick you up."

Diana peeked into the room and grinned brightly at what she saw. "You look great! The guys are here and don't look too bad themselves."

"Bet you Mikhail is still bitching he can't go." Cassie smirked in dark pleasure from where she sat on Chloe's bed.

Diana held her hand out to Chloe. "Come on! I want to see the boys' faces when they see you!"

"I don't know-" Chloe tried but Faye gave her a little push in Diana's direction. Diana's hand clenched around hers and pulled Chloe out of the room.

Realizing that she really had no choice in the matter, Chloe let Diana lead her through the hallway down to the stairs.

Diana grinned, letting go of Chloe's hand and hurrying down. "She's ready, guys!"

As the boys all turned their heads towards her, Chloe felt hella uncomfortable yet tried to smile as she stood at the top of the stairs, slowly making her descent.

Greg wolf-whistled. "_Nice_."

Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "Please."

Lucas grinned up at her.

Mikhail merely reached up and slapped the back of Lucas' head.

"Oh come _on_!" Lucas groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't say _anything!_"

"You were _thinking_ it," Mikhail responded.

Byron was in the background, having been coaxed out of the room, and gave Chloe a little thumbs up.

She smiled at him, knowing he needed more encouragement than she did right now.

Adam leaned against the doorframe, eyebrow raised, giving her an appreciative look.

"Whitney, tell everyone that it's just a _dress_!" Chloe turned to her Hand, uncomfortable with all the attention on her like this.

Whitney stood tense, eyes wide on her, lips parted slightly. He looked almost scared for some reason.

Chloe blinked, stopping her descent and leaning close to him, eyeing him curiously. "Are you okay?"

He blinked rapidly and took a step back, nodding as he cleared his throat and looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't look hideous."

Chloe barked out laughter at that one, feeling more comfortable now. "Why _thank you__,_ Mister Fordman. You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty." She descended the rest of the steps before the doorbell rung. She took in a deep breath before turning to the others. "If you need me for any reason, just call the Manor and they'll get in touch with me. They're not allowing anyone to take their phones with them because they say it'll ruin the fairy tale illusion. But if it's urgent you call the Manor and make sure they get Greg, Whitney or me."

"Just _go_." Faye rolled her eyes. "I'll keep everyone in line."

Behind her, Cassie rolled her eyes.

Smiling at everyone, Chloe turned to the door, opening it to see Davis, who was dressed quite handsomely.

Davis' eyes widened when he saw her, his hand going to his forehead as if he'd gotten a piercing headache, before he shook his head and smiled, hand dropping to his side. "You look beautiful."

Byron narrowed his eyes, scratching his arm.

"And you look handsome." She smiled, sending Adam a little look to let him know that she hadn't forgotten what he'd told her, before looping her arm around the one he offered her. "Let's go?"

Davis smiled as he gazed down at her. "Let's."

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Lionel smiled, watching as those arriving were announced at the top of the stairs that lead to the lavish ballroom. The young Balcoin girl had yet to arrive, but those from the town were here and most of their _special_ guests have arrived as well. Things were going according to plan, everyone drinking from the goblets supplied to them thus making sure that the Dabblers and mortals present wouldn't be an issue when the _true_ reason for this ball was revealed. He wouldn't have invited them at all if he could be sure that Chloe Balcoin would come, but he figured their presence would make her feel safer, more secure.

He smirked, taking a long drink of his goblet of scotch.

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"Mr Whitney Fordman and his companion, Mr Greg Arkin," the chamberlain declared.

Jason looked up from where he was bored out of his wits with Marcia Le Fay, shocked and amused as he watched Whitney and Greg descend the stairs, both obviously uncomfortable, with Greg complaining that if anyone mentioned this at school, he was going to beat the shit out of them. Whitney looked just as uncomfortable but didn't seem to be paying much attention to Greg, instead gazing behind him.

Chloe must have arrived with them and be with her date – who must have had their own invitation because the only way Whitney and Greg could be here was because she'd given them _her_ invitation.

Taking in a deep breath, Jason wondered exactly who Chloe had come with. When he'd found out that Chloe had a date, he'd truthfully thought it was Whitney. Out of all of the guys that Jason had seen her interact with, there was always something between her and the Quarterback – and Jason could _tell_ just how much she trusted him. And yet he hadn't been her date. So _who_?

"Ms Chloe Sullivan and her date..."

And yet Jason tuned out the rest, eyes wide as Chloe appeared above the stairway.

His heart skipped a beat.

She – she looked – she...

Jason took in a deep breath.

Chloe stood under the light, which created a halo around her golden hair as she stood, seeming so _regal_ there. In her eyes, Jason could see the discomfort of being the center of everyone's attention (and to be truthful she _was_, everyone having turned around to look at her) and yet Chloe's smile was soft as she hid her discomfort admirably. She proved a breathtaking picture in a long and flowing royal purple gown that reached the ground, one long slit giving a hint of thigh. Her bodice was tight and woven exquisitely up towards her breasts. Her earrings were a mixture of gold and purple, matching both her hair and dress, brushing against her neck whenever she tilted her head.

She wore no necklace, and on anyone else that would seem like there was something missing, but with the exquisite workmanship on the dress and her tendrils of gold, her glistening lips... somehow a necklace would have taken away from everything else. She was simple yet so incredibly elegant...

Chloe turned to smile at the man who offered her his arm and that was when Jason finally noticed her companion and he went still in shock.

Davis.

It was _Davis_.

What was _he_ doing-? Why hadn't he-? _What_-?

When he'd mentioned to Davis and Lex that Chloe seemed to have procured a date to the ball, Lex had announced that that was great news and had returned his interest to the book he'd been reading. Davis had merely made a weird little noise in the back of his throat and had asked Jason if he knew _who_ she was going with, making a little non-committal sound when the sandy-blonde had admitted that he had no idea.

Jason felt his world spinning.

Oh, wow. Davis was far more cunning than Jason had ever given him credit for!

"Sullivan" Marcia eyed Chloe thoughtfully. "Isn't that the name the Balcoin Firstborn uses?"

Jason frowned as he turned towards his date. "How do you know that?"

"Doesn't _everyone_ connected to the Six know this?" Marcia eyed him speculatively. "John Balcoin was dead and yet we knew his line lived on." She sneered. "You didn't _truly_ think your Circle was the only one that knew of her existence." She scoffed as his expression betrayed him. "How pompous." Pulling out her Spanish fan, Marcia fanned herself as her gaze followed Chloe. "So _she_ is the new head of the Balcoin clan." Her painted lips pulled upwards in a smile. "_Interesting_."

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Davis was never one to disobey orders, and while Lex hadn't exactly come out and ordered him or Jason not to invite Chloe he'd strongly advised the boys against it. And yet there Davis was, grinning sheepishly as he talked to the girl who walked besides him, looking every bit dark prince to her, well, Lex wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be.

He sighed, cradling his drink.

Stunning. She was stunning.

"Why the old-man sigh, big brother?" Julian asked with a little smirk on his face, gaze resting on Chloe. "Annoyed that the belle of the ball is not on your arm?"

Lex knew his younger brother enough to find his behavior suspicious, the bald witch narrowing his eyes at him. "Why do I have the feeling you're to blame for something?"

"Because I usually am?"

Lex downed his glass in one gulp.

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Chloe felt like she was a character in a regency novel. She stayed on Davis' arm, still feeling eyes on her but ignoring them as she made sure to pay attention to whatever he was saying and to give the right answer. While she couldn't see Adam anywhere, the blonde was almost sure he was around due to his dislike of Davis. And that made her wonder why. There'd been so much happening that she hadn't really had time to talk to him and when she had, she'd been so out of it they'd talked about silly little things about themselves. Now though, Chloe wished she'd taken a moment to talk to Adam about this further. Also, she was reminded of a comment he'd made previously. Something about John being versed in casting spells on children without getting caught, and there'd been a mention about the Luthor Circle and their reactions to her that _really_ should have registered long before now.

"So what _were_ you doing fixing the computers that day if Luthorcorp has an IT guy?" Davis asked, referring to the first time they'd seen each other.

Chloe tilted her head towards him from where she'd been watching the dancers doing the waltz. "Well, Nancy needed my help and I'm just so used to doing little odds and ends there that I usually help whenever they need a quick fix." She raised an eyebrow. "What about _you_?"

"Well, that was at Lionel's house and it was last minute so he asked me to look at it," Davis replied. "I'm good with machines. Better than with people."

"Many times I feel that very same way," Chloe admitted, then raised an eyebrow at the expression he was giving her. "_What_?"

"You seem to get along _fine_ with people if the way you've managed to pull that family of yours together is anything to go by." Davis eyed her thoughtfully. "You're doing a _really_ good job so far."

Embarrassed, she looked away, thinking about the issue with Byron. "Not as good as I would like."

"Is there a problem in particular that you're experiencing?" he asked curiously.

The guy was nice, but he was a part of a Luthor Circle and Chloe knew not to trust him fully, just like she didn't completely trust _anyone_ connected to Lionel or Lex in any way. So she merely smiled at him and patted the arm hers was looped around. "It's nothing important, but thank you for the concern."

He grinned back. "I'm glad you accepted my offer, I – I'm enjoying myself greatly."

"Me too." She smiled up at him, genuine, because even if she felt somewhat wary around him, he was still very good company. "Considering Lex and Jason have both started to avoid me, I was surprised when you appeared on my doorstep."

Davis cleared his throat. "I'm sure they have good reasons for their actions, but I, for one, don't believe in letting my parents dictate what I do." He chuckled. "Then again, my mother is _no_ Genevieve Teague _or_ Lionel Luthor." He paused, licking his lips. "She'd like to meet you, officially, before the night is up."

Curious as to this development, Chloe nodded. "And I'd like to meet her."

He grinned. "That's – _great_."

Chloe was a little awkward with his enthusiasm and yet smiled back.

Davis' smile slipped as he gazed beyond her and then returned his attention to her. "I'll be right back."

"Sure." Chloe nodded, watching him go before gazing around her, gaze resting once more on the dancing.

"You know, if it wasn't for the fact that I _know_ you never attend any school dances, I'd almost believe you _want_ to be asked out onto the dance floor," a voice declared behind her.

Chloe turned to see Whitney Forman as he appeared next to her. "I can't help it, this is like a movie. It's – enchanting."

"Not my scene," Whitney announced, hands clasped behind his back. "Greg's gotten distracted by two girls; Mikhail would have been a better partner."

"You make this sound like a _mission_." Chloe grinned up at Whitney, relaxed in his company. "Stop acting so tense like a body guard! Luthor isn't going to do anything amidst so many... Muggles." Her lips twitched in amusement at the Harry Potter reference. "Relax! Have some _fun_." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Invite a pretty girl to dance."

Whitney rolled his eyes at her comment before sighing and reaching out his hand towards her.

Chloe eyed it curiously before her eyes widened, her heart missing a beat in horror. "I don't know how to waltz."

Once more merely rolling his eyes at her, Whitney snatched her hand and began near dragging her onto the dance floor. He stopped once they'd reached it, positioned her arms where they should go, and then smiled at her. "Just follow my lead."

She leaned in, voice wavering slightly. "When did you learn how to waltz?"

Whitney grinned brightly. "I didn't." And with that, and a quick look to the others to see how they were going about it, Whitney began to follow suite and Chloe could only do her best to keep up.

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Greg, unlike most men, _could_ multitask.

He was in the middle of chatting up two hotties, yes, that _was_ true, but his gaze was sharp and ever alert on their surroundings. Lionel and his Circle were mixing and mingling with the guests, some specific ones, people _not_ from Smallville, who seemed just as hoity-toity posh as Lionel and his group did. It was this group that he kept an eye on the most because he couldn't figure out why they were here.

"So I'm guessing they're not gay then?" one of the posh women who'd arrived whispered to another. "Because that one keeps chatting up girls and the other one is dancing with her."

Greg followed their gazes and smirked when he saw Whitney and Chloe out on the dance floor, clearly out of tune with the other dancers, and yet highly enjoying themselves, Whitney giving the girl a twirl and earning laughter from her.

"I love how they don't care that they're not dancing the same way as everyone else," the other woman whispered to the first. "You've got to _love_ that sort of confidence. Especially in people their age."

"She's young and in need of obvious polishing, but I believe she has true promise." The first nodded. "And there hasn't been a female in a _very_ long time in her shoes. I believe they could _all_ do with a change, given how things have been going for that family."

Greg frowned as he eyed the older women once more. They knew who Chloe was, even though she'd been introduced as _Sullivan_.

Dark eyes narrowed as concern and suspicion coiled in his stomach.

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Jason arrived next to Davis, goblet in his hand, watching Chloe and Whitney dancing and laughing at each other's many mistakes. "It seems your date has been poached."

Davis sent him a sideways glance. "Are you angry that I didn't tell you?"

Jason licked his lips as he contemplated his answer. "No."

"Why?" Davis asked curiously. "You like her."

"So do you." Jason downed his goblet as he continued to eye the two dancing. "To be truthful, Dave, I think Whitney's the real competition for _anyone_ who is interested in her." He gave a dark little chuckle. "Even if in the end nothing romantic blossoms between them, they have a bond that... well... Anyone who enters into a relationship with _e__i__ther_ of them would have to learn to understand their special bond or things would end rapidly."

Davis didn't answer at first and then gave a little smile. "Your date's looking for you." And with that, he moved towards the dancers as the song ended.

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Things were awkwardly quiet in the Sullivan house as the six remaining teenagers hung around without their usual referees. The television was on to some series about angst-ridden teenaged werewolves but no one was really watching it. They weren't even looking in the direction of the television, everyone doing something on their own.

After everything that'd happened, once Chloe, Greg and Whitney had left, those remaining in the household had called something of a little meeting. It'd been tense, just as everything they did together was, but they'd realized with Chloe's little pill-popping and then the fact that she'd slept all day that the girl was exhausted. And why shouldn't she be? She was only about a year older than them and yet she'd taken on every responsibility in the house and in helping the family. And they'd just let her.

There'd been arguments and blame thrown back and forth between the siblings before finally they'd managed to at least agree that they were going to have to start helping and pitching in; to give some and not just take.

"Is anyone else curious as to _why_ the book won't open for us?" Cassie wanted to know, finally breaking the silence that'd fallen over the group.

They'd figured another way they could help was by lending a hand doing the research over the curses that seemed to prevail in the household and not just let Chloe handle that monstrous book by herself, giving her some _free_ time at night. And yet, when they'd tried to start, the book wouldn't budge and after a while had burnt them when they touched it so they'd left it alone and were now here, not watching the show.

"It's really not that surprising if you actually think about it." Mikhail sent her a sideways glance. "You and Diana aren't the _first_ Balcoins to kill family. The book senses we aren't Chloe and rejects us. It's a protective measure. Only the Firstborn can activate and read the book and that way, only the Firstborn would know all of the secrets and be the strongest in the Circle, as it _should_ be."

"Shouldn't it be able to read intentions then?" Diana made a face. "We don't want to hurt Chloe, we want to help."

"You don't want to hurt her _now_." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Who knows what you'd want to do in the future?"

Diana flinched. "That's going too far, Mikhail."

"You killed your father." Mikhail turned to her completely. "Why is it so ludicrous to believe that you're capable of killing your sister? Or brother for that matter?" He leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. "You have blood on your hands, the both of you do, and neither of you will ever be able to wipe it off, no matter how much you want to."

"John Balcoin was going to kill millions of innocent people." Cassie glared at Mikhail. "I understand that he raised you and all that, and that maybe none of _your_ friends were going to be killed, but ours _were_. We _saved lives_."

"Keep telling yourself that." Lucas snorted, looking away.

Cassie's blues turned on him.

"_Guys_..." Byron tried to intervene as he leaned forward, about to get up and go between them in case fighting broke out.

Faye reached out and pulled him back against the sofa next to her. "Believe me, it's better to stay out of this. It's between those four, something _they_ need to work through."

Byron sighed yet did as told.

"In the past if you killed one of your own – your _rightful_ _leader _– and _hadn't_ taken control of the family, you'd have been outcasts, pariahs, shunned and despised by all." Mikhail eyed his sisters darkly. "If _I_ had been the Firstborn, you'd have been _tortured and killed_, but Chloe's the Firstborn and she was raised by Gabe, not dad. I'll be the first to say that there are some advantages to that, but it's also made her naive. She truly believes that she can trust you two, that she needs to give _you_ a family to call your own, that you're not two little bitch killers who have blood on their hands that will _never_ come off."

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "It _is_."

"I'm going to say this now and just put it on the table." Mikhail eyed his sisters. "I don't like either of you and I don't trust you. Chloe might think you're happy enough being a part of the family but I want you to know that I don't buy into this. If you step out of line once, if you try to hurt her, I don't care _how_ accidental it is or if you think you're saving the whole damned world filled with innocent lives – I will _gut_ you _both_."

"And I'll hold you down as he does it." Lucas was darkly blank.

"_Guys_..." Byron tried once more, yet remained firmly in the seat as Faye had previously instructed.

"I would _never_ hurt Chloe." Diana's voice was soft and yet her eyes fierce as she met Mikhail's gaze. "Since you've gotten what _you_ wanted off your chest, I'm going to talk frankly to you as well." She leaned closer to him as well. "Sure, I helped kill our father, I get why you hate us for that, but guess what, Mikhail? I don't _care _anymore if you never forgive me. Either of you." Her gaze went to Cassie before returning to Mikhail. "Because I have a good thing going here with Chloe and I'm not going to let _anyone_ mess that up for me. I have a family now, I have a home, and I'm not going to do anything to mess that up." Her voice was still incredibly serene while her eyes burned like dark fire. "And if I'm to be as brutally honest as you were, then I'll admit to the fact that I don't trust _any_ of you with Chloe either."

"What?" Cassie's eyes widened.

"Don't be _ridiculous_." Mikhail sneered.

"I'm sorry, Cassie, but we're _all_ seen the darkness in you. It's overpowered you more than a couple of times and you _have_ attacked Chloe before. Twice." Diana turned to Mikhail and Lucas. "And _you two_ were raised by John and have a league of minions who have kidnapped her in the past. I don't trust the fact that you're so able to just accept her leadership. I don't trust _anyone_ raised by John Balcoin or who had a business connection with him or _anything_. That man was evil and conniving and not above waiting for years for his plans to take fruition. I don't trust that you're not biding your time, winning Chloe's trust, only to stab her in the back or try and use her for your own gains." She clenched her hands. "And I won't _need_ someone else to help hold you down while I kill you if you _do_ try to hurt her."

Cassie chuckled darkly, drawing their attention to her as she shook her head. "What a screwed up family we are." Her smile was ugly. "I killed my father, have serious anger issues, have tried to hurt everyone in this room _and_ have attacked Chloe twice already; Diana killed daddy dearest along with me, runs away from her troubles, and betrays the trust of those who've trusted her; Mikhail and Lucas seem quite at home torturing people, apparently have an active plan on how to kill us should we step a toe out of line; this Pete guy just ups and leaves everyone for some random girl, doesn't give a crap about the family, and if he really _is _in danger like Chloe thinks, I've found I really don't give a crap; and Faye, well, she's run away from home and isn't fighting with me because she feels guilty that she's hiding the fact that her mother was in league with Diana's father and most probably had something to do with _my_ mother's death."

Faye went pale in horror. "How did you-?"

"It didn't take a genius like Sherlock Holmes to figure that part out, Faye." Cassie rolled her eyes, still chuckling darkly. "Byron might be the one with the dark personality episodes, but he's _by far_ the most innocent, nice, and likable of the bunch of us."

"What's your point, blondie?" Lucas glared at her.

"My _point_, Lucas," Cassie leaned towards him, "is that no one in this damned room is going to kill each other, no matter how much we might _want_ to." She let her blues land on everyone before leaning back hard against her seat. "In our own dark ways, we're all rotten to the core and we know it, but Chloe doesn't seem to. She seems to see something in us, something we _wish_ we could see ourselves." Cassie took in a deep breath. "She sees the us we wish we were and because of that, no one in this room would ever hurt her. We're not even going to hurt each other because we're all too afraid that if we do _anything_ wrong, that she'll start seeing the us _we_ see and when she does, we'll have no hope, no family, no _nothing_." Cassie looked away, obviously uncomfortable opening up in this way. "I'll be the first to admit that deep down inside, I can be a little monster, but I know I have a great thing here – the first thing _close_ to a family since my mother was taken away from me." When her blues returned to the group they were brighter, harsher. "And I'll be _damned_ if I do something to jeopardize that."

Silence reigned on the teens, no one able to deny the words the youngest Balcoin girl had uttered about everyone and everything.

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Davis had tried teaching her to do a _real_ waltz. That hadn't gone too well but he'd taken her graceless attempts in stride and had given her very good pointers. She was also a quick learner and felt that now, during their fifth dance, she was slowly getting the hang of it. The part she didn't get too much was the whole keeping a distance from your partner bit. Sure, she knew that it'd been danced during a time where any sort of physical proximity was a scandalous affaire, and yet it should have been updated for modern times for crying out loud! It made it so much more difficult to follow your partner's lead. While what she and Whitney had been doing had been _far _from the waltz, while the blonde rested her cheek against Whitney's heart during a slow part, it'd been so much easier to do and had felt more natural too.

Finally the music ended and she and Davis drew apart. Her gaze rested for a second on Jason and his date, a very pretty dark haired girl, before going to Lionel when his voice spoke loudly.

"Thank you all for attending our first ever Smallville ball." Lionel Luthor stood on the podium, a mic in hand. "Now I have one word to say. _Durmiens_."

Suddenly, all around them, the _muggles' _heads lowered as they fell asleep on their feet.

Chloe's eyes widened in shock as she looked around her, a prickling of unease rising up her spine.

"_Good_." Lionel smirked. "Now that they're no longer an issue, I can address the _real _reason why we're all here tonight."

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Diana gasped as she stood, eyes widening as she pressed down hard on her Eye symbol, which was burning her.

"Diana?" Faye frowned. "What's wrong?"

Diana opened her mouth to tell the girl she didn't know when suddenly she wasn't in the room anymore. Instead, she seemed to be looking through someone else's eyes.

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**TBC**


	72. True Face

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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_The gaze went to the reflection in the glass in his hand, revealing Greg Arkin as he made his way through the throng to where Chloe, Whitney and Davis were standing. All around him__,__ people were either sleeping on their feet or watching intently with gleaming eyes._

_"What's going on?" Whitney Fordman glared at Davis Bloome._

_Davis didn't answer, merely frowning at Lionel._

_Greg finally made his way to them, eyeing them in worry. "This was a trap. We need to leave, now."_

_Suddenly the lights all turned off and a headlight focused on the group._

_Greg raised his scarred hands to shield his gaze from the glare. "The hell?"_

_"Miss Balcoin," Lionel ignored the whispers that rose as he said that name__,__ "__w__ould you be __so__ kind as to come here?"_

_"Don't do it." Whitney turned to Chloe._

_"It's fine__,__" Davis assured her._

_Chloe sent the dark haired guy a look before turning to Whitney. "Don't worry."_

_"Chloe." Whitney grabbed her arm but let it go when he saw the look she gave him._

_Chloe smiled softly at him before turning that same smile at Greg. "I'll be right back."_

_Straightening her back, Chloe took in a deep breath before beginning to move towards the podium, the people parting for her like waves._

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When Diana awoke, she was on the ground staring up at the surprised faces of her housemates.

"What the hell just happened?" Lucas wanted to know. "You spazzed out and then fell on your ass on the floor."

Diana pressed her hand to her head, shaking, not sure how what had just happened had happened! "I-I just saw something through Greg's eyes."

Cassie blinked. "Knowing Greg, I'm almost afraid to ask."

"_Chloe_..." Diana accepted the hand Byron gave her and got up, rubbing her Eye design, eyes wide. "It's Chloe. The ball was a trap. She's in trouble."

"I should have gone with her!" Mikhail snarled before turning and storming to the door.

The others shared a look before hurrying after him.

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Joining Lionel Luthor on the podium, Chloe took the hand he offered and turned to look at the people below, the sleeping ones being removed from the ballroom by the many servants who'd crept in during the dimming of the lights. She didn't know what to expect but felt like a fool for letting down her guard the way she had. Why hadn't she expected that Lionel would do something like this? And to make things worse, she hadn't been able to get close to Lex all night and Davis had been little to no help in the information department.

"As you all know, I have gathered each and every one of you to this barren little town because the new head of the Balcoin clan has chosen to make it her home." He raised the hand he held Chloe's with up. "I present to you, Chloe Balcoin, the Firstborn."

Now that the sleeping people had been taken out, only Lionel's special invites remained, drawing closer to get a look at Chloe.

"As is tradition in this sort of situation, I have taken it upon myself to throw the Initiation Ball in her honor," Lionel continued, confusing Chloe more and more as he spoke to the crowd. "We all know that John Balcoin died, but most of you had not had the pleasure of meeting the new Soul. It is one of the reasons why we throw these Initiations, is it not? To meet and get a feel for the next to join the Six heads."

Chloe tried her best to not _appear_ to be completely lost.

"As is tradition, you have now seen the face – and what a pretty young face it is – but it is time to meet her _true_ visage." With the hand that held the mic, Lionel pointed to the ballroom once more, a large area right in the middle having been vacated, the floodlight now shining on it to reveal a symbol marked in the middle of a large circle. "It is time."

Chloe sent him a sideways glance before taking in a deep breath. She held her head high, knowing there was some sort of trap awaiting her below but she kept her chin up as she walked down the steps onto the podium. Everyone's gaze was on her but she kept her gaze high and walked calmly until she reached the middle of the circle before turning to face Lionel.

To her side, she could see Whitney and Greg pushing through the crowd to get to the edge of the circle, but when they tried to pass through it, they were unable to, pushed back by some invisible force. It was then that she realized she was trapped inside, but she didn't let it show on her face, keeping her gaze on Lionel, deceptively calm and vaguely defiant.

The light above Lionel dimmed to nothing, leaving the one over Chloe as the only one left in the room, bathing everyone else in utter darkness and hiding them from her. Chloe realized she was in the spotlight like some sort of entertainer and it annoyed her, the blonde slowly gazing around her, knowing that it couldn't be just because everyone wanted a better look at her. No. There was something planned here, something put into place.

And what had been this business about her true face?

What wasn't true about her face as it was?

Why did people keep doing this sort of shit to her without explaining anything beforehand?

Sensing something behind her, Chloe twirled around and raised her palm in time to stop the lightning bolt that'd raced towards her. It curled into her hand like an orb, the blonde eyeing it before thrusting it against the invisible shield around her, electrifying it and causing the people to draw back with gasps from the now visible and electrified dome keeping Chloe inside.

Suddenly five archways opened in the dome and five people stepped inside, the archways closing behind them and trapping them inside as well. Considering Lionel was one of them and they were all quite a bit older than she was, Chloe could only guess that these regal looking people were the other five heads.

In front of them, creatures began to form in the mist.

Lionel's was, not at all surprisingly, a lion which was scarred from many fights, yet obviously had won them all and stood tall in its championship.

A woman with grey streaks through her black locks had a fierce looking baboon with fiery red eyes.

A ginger-haired man with a walrus mustache stood slightly behind a komodo dragon whose tongue hissed out threateningly.

A man with pure white hair and amber eyes pet the head of his creature, which was a humongous condor with incredibly sharp talons that seemed coated in what looked like dried blood.

The last person, a man with dark brown hair and a scar down his cheek, smirked at Chloe, and his creature, a terribly oversized wolverine, bared its teeth at her.

It was as she stared at those creatures that Chloe realized what face they were expecting, and it was all she could do to just breathe and not grow nervous. She didn't know how to do this. She'd never been trained. And like with most everything else in her life, she was being thrown into a pit of vicious animals and expected to just deal with it instinctively.

The animals drew closer, all ignoring each other and focusing on her, vicious.

Chloe clenched her fists.

Magic hit the barrier and yet Whitney and Greg were unable to penetrate the magic there, leaving her sealed within.

"You know, it's not _nice_ not to at least give her a _hint_ about what's going to happen and then literally throw her to the dogs," a familiar voice declared.

Chloe's eyes widened as she turned her head to see Scales appear from behind her.

Unlike usual where she dressed identical to Chloe, her mirror image was dressed in a golden, scaly mini dress, her eyes normal as she sashayed in front of Chloe, eyeing the creatures and their masters as she stood between them.

The Five shared a look.

"A _human_?" the woman asked in confusion. "Her face is _human_?"

"How _weak_." The scared man sneered. "Golgotha, shred her to pieces."

The wolverine obeyed, snarling as it raced towards Scales.

Scales just eyed the creature thoughtfully before waiting 'til the last moment, as it jumped at her, to roundhouse kick the wolverine into the electric shield with her Christian Louboutin Snakeskin Daffodil high heels. She watched as the creature shook with the electricity before collapsing back into the circle, steam rising from its fur.

The scarred man groaned, hand against his solar plexus as the creature flickered before disappearing, an archway opening behind him. He sent Chloe a narrowed look before leaving the circle, the archway closing immediately behind him.

"Janus always had a little problem with underestimating his opponents," the ginger-haired man declared, stepping forwards. "We, Tentagels, do not share that Le Fay trait." He turned to his komodo. "You know what to do, Wicker."

Tentagels?

Chloe's eyes widened.

This man was _Adam's_ father?

The Komodo dragon moved towards Scales with more wariness than Golgotha had, but not worried in the least bit. It then did something that shocked the whole room – it sat down in front of the blonde.

Scales grinned as she bent down on her knees and rubbed the lizard under its chin. "Good girl. I didn't want to hurt you either."

"_Wicker_?" the head of the Tentagel family asked softly, obviously confused and unnerved with his reptile's actions.

"Don't be mad at her." Scales looked up at him as she stood once more while Wicker turned to return to her master. "I'm _much_ higher up on the hierarchy and she knows it."

He frowned, eyeing Chloe and Scales with much confusion and some trepidation as he and Wicker both left the circle.

By now, the woman with the streaks of gray through her hair was grinning curiously.

Lionel smirked as well.

The white haired guy wasn't so amused. "Crush her."

The Condor took to the air high above before bulleting down towards Scales, blood-coated talons reaching down for her.

Scales dodged the attack and turned towards the condor but it had risen up out of her reach rapidly, circling above.

The Condor gave a shriek above before coming in to attack.

Scales ducked and turned, grabbing the Condor by its tail feathers and hissing as she yanked them out viciously, causing the bird to shriek as it crashed into the electric dome.

The white haired man hissed, doubling over, a couple of locks falling from his head.

Scales brought the fists full of bird feathers to her mouth and blew them away towards him. "Next, please."

The Condor flickered into nothingness and the man limped out, worriedly checking his hair.

"Oh, let me go next, Lionel," the woman nearly begged, highly excited. "_Please_."

"Of course, my dear." Lionel smiled, motioning her forwards. "Ladies first."

The woman stepped forwards. "You should know Jeoffrey Sigan has a thing about his hair so he might hold a little grudge against you for that one."

Scales turned to look behind her at that. "She's not talking to me but to you."

"Considering I wasn't prepared for any of this, I honestly don't give a crap if he's a little ticked off because he lost some strands of hair," Chloe declared.

The woman, who could only be a Wylt, grinned. "I like you. I didn't like your father, but I like _you_." She rubbed the head of her baboon. "Go on, Charlie."

The baboon let out a blood-curling howl before charging Scales full-force.

Scales, for her part, seemed to be having a bit more trouble dodging the huge creature. She kicked him back with her heels when he got too close but the creature was back, teeth bared and claws swinging. The humanoid ducked and dodged before one of his paws caught her and threw her against the electric wall, the female falling to her knees as electricity visibly coursing through her veins as she forced herself to her feet.

"_Scales_?" Chloe's eyes widened. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no biggie. We can handle worse." Scales nodded, flinching as she shook off the cracks of electricity, gaze on the baboon as she cracked her knuckles. "Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong."

Charlie the baboon roared as it attacked, and once more Scales was left dodging his ferocious blows. He swung out at her, backing her into a corner as he charged her to finish the job. The sound of tearing could be heard as Scales pushed up in a jump and wings tore out of the back of her dress as she raised up into the air, Charlie thus slamming face first into the barrier. The force behind his charge knocked him plain out as he collapsed on the ground, electricity running through him.

Whispers of shock filled the whole room as Scale's wings brought her back to the ground.

"That's not her real face." The Wylt woman gave a little laugh as she rubbed her forehead, lips parted in an amazed smile as she eyed Scales. "The girl's an _illusion_." She turned to Lionel. "We have yet to see her true face."

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"It's just her and Lionel now." Greg turned to Whitney, rubbing his palm, which was itching like hell.

"That's not reassuring." Whitney frowned, eyes narrowed on the two left the electrified dome.

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"No one is allowed past this point without a golden invitation," the guard told the teens. "Go back or we're going to have to throw you out."

Mikhail merely sneered as he cracked his knuckles.

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Lionel stood eyeing Chloe. "You have done impressively well considering how untrained you are."

She figured it was all thanks to the fact that she had three different magics within her and no one outside of her Circle knew that. "Do I sense a bit of disappointment in your tone, Lionel?"

He chuckled. "Of course not." He turned to his lion. "Leonardo."

The lion snarled as it stalked towards Scales, the creature huge and powerful, obviously used to battle as it stared at Scales, who'd risen in the air once more, dark wings flapping slowly. It swiped at Scales, who dodged out of the way, before finally its claws hooked into her leg and yanked the girl down under it, the lion clawing at the humanoid as it trapped her under its weight.

"Scales!" Chloe hurried as close to the creature as she dared. "_Scales_!"

There was no answer, the humanoid trying to defend itself as the lion clawed into her, bit her, ripped at her wings.

_"SCALES_!" Chloe felt her magics all react.

Suddenly, a snake's tail curled around Leonardo and began compressing, the lion stopping to roar in pain as suddenly the humanoid Scales was gone and in her place was a large, monstrous looking snake with dark, talon-tipped wings and fangs that dripped with venom.

Cries could be heard from the crowd.

Lionel's smirk slipped from his face, eyes widened as his lips parted.

The monstrous creature wrapped itself around Leonardo like a boa constrictor, its wings further serving to trap and scratch the beast as the snake buried its fangs into Leonardo's neck.

It was obvious that the fight was over and that death was near.

With a whimper, Leonardo flickered out of existence, leaving Lionel breathless, clutching at his chest.

Scales, in her true form, straightened, standing tall, hissing at everyone, the sound of people taking steps back audible in the horrible silence.

Lionel slipped out of the archway the second it opened, holding onto his chest, eyes wide on the gigantic, monstrous creature as the archway closed behind him.

Chloe hurried to the creature that was injured. "Are you okay?"

The creature turned her eyes on Chloe.

Chloe reached out and hesitated only a second before reaching out and place her hand on that scaly body, only slightly surprised as at the touch, the injuries began to heal up without scars.

It was shocking for the blonde to realize that Scales wasn't just some entity that liked to appear during crucial events and smart-ass her way through them. Scales didn't just appear for the hell of it. Scales was a _part_ of her... Was the physical manifestation of her magic... Of her _power_.

This incredible creature was the deepest, most sacred piece of her soul.

Scales hissed, forked tongue slipping out, seeming quite pleased as she vanished.

The silence in the room was so thick one could cut it as the dome disappeared, shattering around Chloe as the lights came back on.

Everyone's eyes were on her and they seemed almost afraid to speak.

Whitney and Greg looked shocked but relieved as they joined her side.

"Are you okay?" Whitney checked her over.

"That was so _awesome_!" Greg laughed, pulling a dark strand from his face. "You seriously _rocked_!"

Chloe's eyes narrowed as she reached out and grabbed his hand, eyes widening at what she saw. "Greg? When did this happen?"

"Huh?" Greg looked down at his palm before his eyes widened. "I have no clue."

Chloe let his hand slip from hers before staring at the newest symbol to be burnt into her palm, opposite the Eye of Ra on the top spire. It was a symbol she had never expected to see. "The All Seeing Eye."

"You have another Eye?" Whitney whispered. "But I thought there was another _Hand_, not another Eye."

Greg grinned. "This night _rocks_!"

It was at that exact moment that the doors were blown open and the rest of her Circle arrived.

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The Balcoin Firstborn's Circle had managed to get around the tight security and were there. Not that they really needed to protect the girl. Not when everyone was holding back in shock. There was only one person who'd ever been recorded to have a winged serpent as their true face, and yet the drawings of Francis and his true reflection had shown a creature that wasn't half the size this one had been, and this creature was _terrifying_. If _that_ was the physical manifestation of the girl's magic, of her _power_, the night was terribly somber.

Even Jason was taken aback by the creature, frozen in his place. And when he'd finally reacted, it was too late; Chloe had asked her Circle to wait for her outside and had pulled a wary Adrian Tentagel to the side, speaking to him.

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"So you were able to see what I was seeing?" Greg blinked, eyeing Diana, who was holding his hand and eyeing the symbol there in utter shock.

"I don't understand." Diana leaned against Chloe's car, which the girls had arrived in (the boy's had come in Lucas's sports car). "I thought there was only one Eye?"

"Makes sense why you could see what I was seeing though." Greg scratched his chin. "I knew something was wrong and I was wishing that you all were here in case there was a fight since we were horribly outnumbered – and one Eye transmitted to the other."

"Wow." Diana blinked.

He nodded his agreement. "Wow indeed."

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"I believe I understand now why Wicker didn't attack," Adrian Tentagel declared, eyeing Chloe warily. "She sensed the true nature of your reflection and knew that it was... similar to her own... but..._" _he didn't finish that, taking in a deep breath as he eyed her, "when you pulled me away, you said you had something important you needed to speak to me about. I'm curious as to what it might be."

Chloe took in a deep breath, knowing that this could either go very badly or incredibly well, and with her luck, it'd be the prior. "Your son, Adam... I know what happened to him."

The man went pale before he looked away. "It was before your time, I doubt that you-"

"My father cast the Desolate Existence spell on him." She saw the horror bleed through his every feature. "He's still around – not here at this second – but he stays with my family and me."

Anger filled the man's face. "Now I _know_ you're lying. If John had cast the spell on him, Adam would have faded away the second John died." He leaned closer, grabbing her arm. "I don't know what game you think you're playing, little girl, but I-"

"Aiden once accidentally turned Pumpkin into a real pumpkin," Chloe whispered rapidly.

Adrian Tentagel's eyes widened as his grip on her softened. "_What did you say_?"

"Anton and Alistair learned to stop fighting all the time because your wife used to spell their hands stuck to each other for _days_ if they did." Chloe tried to think of anything else Adam had told her that only the family would know. "Andrew used to let Adam sleep in his bed whenever he had nightmares." She wracked her brain for some information on the last brother before her eyes widened. "Alexander had this really huge crush on this girl he saw in the park when he was six and then he found out it was a _boy_ and he made everyone swear they'd never ever tell another soul about it."

Adrian Tentagel's haunted gaze was on her, his eyes wide and slightly fogged. "_How_-?"

"I don't know how to reverse the curse." Chloe stepped closer to him. "I keep searching for it in my family's book of shadows but so far, I can't find one reference to it."

Shaking his head, Adrian took in a deep breath as his voice lowered. "My son should have died with John and his magic." His eyes narrowed on her. "Why didn't he?"

Chloe looked away. "My father's magic didn't die with him."

Adrian's eyes widened as he realized what she hadn't said. "I see." He ran a shaky hand through his ginger hair. "Take me to my son."

Chloe returned her gaze to him and nodded. "Follow me."

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**TBC**


	73. The Liberation of Adam Knight

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"You won't find any reference to the Desolate Existence in your family Grimoire," Adrian Tentagel announced as he changed gears in his orange jaguar. "It's a spell so detestable, so _dangerous_, it's only told to the Firstborn by his predecessor close to his or her death." He took a right, following after Whitney and the others as instructed. "It is a spell that is only used when the caster is utterly desperate, because it drains the caster of much of his energy to keep the spell working – and because, should he break the spell, he and the one be-spelled are forever linked and he is uniquely vulnerable against the one he cursed."

"How so?" Chloe asked curiously, fascinated at the opportunity to have one of the Six there with her, talking to her so openly, as no one else had done up until this moment in her life.

"Because, as I previously stated, it's the caster's magic that is keeping the cursed one alive. It essentially creates a bond, a _oneness_ between them. The caster's magic stops seeing the cursed as a stranger and more like a twin, I'd suppose." Adrian frowned, sending her a sideway glance as he pressed down on the gas. "It gives the cursed one a great advantage and heightens his or her chance at taking revenge since the caster's magic wouldn't take him or her as a threat immediately."

"That makes sense." Chloe pulled a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Adrian's penetrating stare fixed her to her seat. "Knowing this, are you still willing to release my son?"

"Of course." Chloe blinked in surprise at the question. "I am _not_ my father. Adam is my friend. I _trust_ him." She snorted. "He sleeps in my _room_ for crying out loud; couldn't trust him more than _that_!"

Adrian blinked, eyeing her with a mixture of confusion and intrigue. "I see."

"It's a small house considering how many people live there." Chloe hurried to dispel any weird ideas he might have gotten from her comment. "Adam sleeps on an air mattress on the floor. Not in my bed. At all. We're _friends_. Not. Uh." She looked away. "Up until the other night, I had no control over my ability to Enthrall others so believe me when I say that nothing – I didn't – _urgh_!" She covered her face. "Verbal diarrhea ending now."

Adrian eyed her in obvious amusement before chuckling, shaking his head as he slowed down, seeing the cars ahead pulling up into the front yard of the house Chloe and the others were renting while their place was still under construction. "You are not what I expected of a daughter of John Balcoin."

"Can I take that as a compliment?" she asked curiously.

His amusement grew as he nodded, parking next to the other cars. "You definitely can."

Chloe grinned before exiting the car, smiling at her siblings and friends who were already piling into the house. "Welcome to Temporary Casa Balcoin." She motioned for Adrian to follow her, a little self conscious considering she hadn't been expecting visitors and the house was a bit of a mess, but she figured he was here for his son and wouldn't care too much.

Entering in the house, Chloe could see that a message had been written on the board: **WHERE IS EVERYONE? I WAS CHECKING SOMETHING AND WHEN I CAME BACK****,**** NO ONE WAS HERE. AND WHEN I WENT TO THE PARTY****,**** NO ONE WAS THERE. WHAT'S GOING ON?**

"Adam?" Chloe called, looking around and not finding him, frowning slightly. "Adam, are you here?"

The door to the kitchen opened and Adam arrived, frowning at her. "What happened? Why weren't you at the party? I found something out and-" He finally saw the man behind Chloe and his eyes widened. "_Dad_?"

"Yeah, we met at the ball and he knows a way to end this spell." Chloe gave a breathless, incredulous little chuckle.

Adrian looked around in the direction that the door had opened and closed in. "Is – is my son here?"

Chloe nodded, going to Adam and reaching for his hand, holding it. "He's here."

Adrian took in a deep breath, obviously trying to keep control of himself as he drew nearer. "Hello, son."

"Hi, dad." Adam's eyes were filled with unshed tears as he stared at his father.

Chloe squeezed his hand before turning to Adrian. "How do we break the curse on Adam?"

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This was the first time that Cassie had been inside of the Balcoin caves in person. She'd been inside once when she'd been inside Chloe's dream. When she'd had (what Faye liked to refer to as) her "Psychotic Bitch" episode, the cave had kept her out. It seemed to sense that Chloe had allowed her entrance this time and hadn't given her, or anyone else, any problems entering and Cassie was both intimidated, fascinated, and in awe of the whole thing. She could feel the _power_ in each particle of rock and dirt and it made her uneasy, especially since she had managed to figure out that these caves responded instinctively to Chloe. If Chloe had wanted to, she could have allowed Cassie inside, trapped her, or could have seriously hurt her – or used its incredible power to kill her. Cassie somehow knew that it wouldn't have been the first time something like that had happened inside of these caves.

She could see the same unease she felt reflected on Byron's face, this apparently the boy's first visit to the caves as well. He kept looking around him, almost afraid to touch anything, to be near the walls. Mikhail, Lucas and Faye also seemed to be newcomers to the caves because they were curiously examining the contents in the room Chloe had left them in before she had disappeared into a tunnel with Adam and his dad, Diana, Whitney and Greg. Cassie had wanted to follow but she'd been told to stay put and so she did so, even though being here was really frying her nerves.

"Why are most of these books in Old German?" Lucas wanted to know curiously as he flicked through one of the books. "Who here speaks Old German?"

"These symbols..." Mikhail ignored his friend as he ran his fingers against a certain symbol on the wall. "They seem _alive_... like they share a single heartbeat."

Byron sat on the bean bag seat, hugging his knees to his chest, visibly uncomfortable.

Faye, on the other hand, looked quite at home on the other beanie bag. She hummed to herself and drummed her fingers in the air in time to the beat of the song she hummed.

Cassie gazed down the dark tunnel the others had disappeared into. She tapped her foot nervously as she hugged herself.

What was going on in there?

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They were in the main chamber, the largest chamber they'd found so far; the one with the large glowing Balcoin symbol that seemed to cast a soft light onto the whole chamber.

"This place is – it's _magnificent_," Adrian whispered, gazing around him in shock before turning to Chloe. "Miss Balcoin, I can't even begin to say how impressed I am right now."

"It's not like _I_ made them." She was a little uncomfortable with his awe, especially considering how much more knowledgeable and such he was.

Adrian eyed her curiously before clearing his throat. "As this is the place where you find you concentrate your magic most, the two of you must go and stand in the middle of the symbol's shadow on the chamber. Usually the _whole_ Circle should be here – I – I have yet to encounter a bound Circle that consists of less than Six – and yet nothing about you or your Circle seems to fit in with long established rules." Adrian cleared his throat, obviously unsure of how to proceed. "Your two Circle members should stand on either side of the room and your sister… you say she's your anchor even though she is not bound to your Circle?"

Chloe nodded. "She's my Eye."

"And yet so is _he_." Adrian frowned, eyeing the dark haired boy who belonged to her Circle. "I've never heard of _two_ Eyes in a Balcoin Circle before."

Nothing associated with this girl was ordinary.

"I'm still her Eye." Diana, the sister, stepped forwards, the expression on her face and tone of her voice betraying the fact that she was insecure with the revelation of the other boy's new position as an Eye. "I can help."

"I'm sure you can." Adrian nodded. "You stay next to me, in case anything goes wrong."

"Wait, what could go wrong?" the blonde male Circle member wanted to know with a frown, obviously highly protective of the girl. Adrian had first noticed the girl when she'd arrived with the Bloome boy, and yet she really hadn't caught his attention until she'd started dancing with this boy. Part of it had been the fact that they'd obviously been horribly out of time and rhythm with the other dancers, and another part of it had been the fact that they obviously hadn't cared, just enjoying each other's company. It'd been refreshing to see something so spontaneous and _real_ considering that Adrian was used to these get-togethers becoming more and more stuffy, rehearsed, artificial.

"Everything could go wrong," Adrien replied truthfully because had their positions been reversed he would have hoped someone would be this truthful with him. "It's a dangerous, dark spell, boy, and despite the power your girl has in her, she's still untrained."

The dark haired boy frowned. "Are we sure we want to do this blindly?"

Chloe sent both boys a little smile. "Come on, haven't I proven to be quite good at instinctive magic?"

"You don't want to push it though," Diana whispered by Adrian's side. "I'm sure Adam wouldn't mind waiting one more night."

"I don't-" Chloe turned to look to her side, gaze tilted up slightly as she seemed to listen intently to something Adam was telling her before frowning. "_No_. We're doing this. I promised you that the second I had the chance to help you, I _would_. I'm not backing out on that now just because he said that. I knew this would be dangerous, it's not a newsflash." Her face twisted slightly in annoyance. "I'm _doing_ this whether you think it's a good idea or not." She turned to Adrian with a little sigh and a tired smile. "What do I do?"

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"First his date was poached and then she abandoned him mid-ball," Oliver announced, taking a large gulp of the wine in his goblet. "Dave's in a foul mood sulking somewhere right now, mark my words."

"Not that there was much of a ball once she left," Tess admitted, taking the goblet away from him and sipping from it herself. "Seeing her true reflection – it unnerved quite a good amount of people."

"It's a _monster_," Oliver reminded her. "Weren't _you_ taken aback?"

"Of course I was. It was the closest thing to a dragon that I'd ever seen with my own eyes." Tess rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "It's not something that you just forget."

"We're in way over our heads here, Mercy." Oliver stole back his goblet and finished it. "There's no way that _any _of us are going to be able to rein that girl in. I want no part in it. It's suicide."

The redhead sent her boyfriend a look. "Oliver, haven't you realized it already? No one was ever _going_ to rein her in, own her."

Oliver frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

"She was just introduced to the Six as one of them. My _father_ held the ball that proved to everyone that she's young but extremely powerful and not to be messed with." Tess bit her bottom lip. "There's no way his plan is to try and claim her as his little slave and human crystal."

Oliver's eyes flashed dangerously. "But we were taken! We were tortured! We-"

"We were all tricked." Tess hated the way her voice wavered at that. "I'm not saying we went through what we did for _nothing_, but whatever it _was_ for, they're not telling us."

"The _hell_ they aren't." Throwing the goblet away, Oliver snarled as he turned and stormed away.

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Chloe held onto Adam's hand and stood on her tiptoes so she could reach out and cup his face, furthering contact and thus using both hands as conductors for her magic. She stared into his eyes, ignoring the worry there, knowing that the others were right when they said that this was dangerous and she should think about it first. But for too long now, she'd seen Adam and Byron ill and now that she had the opportunity to help one of them, she was not going to let it pass her by. She'd made promises, damn it! She needed to help get Adam back to the life her father had denied him! There was nothing anyone could tell her that would dissuade her from what she was about to do.

John Balcoin had taken the life from Adam Knight and had tied him to John's essence, his magic, so that he wouldn't truly die. To right what her father had done to an innocent child, Chloe was going to have to search deep inside her and find that life he'd taken (which should be stored in his magic somewhere) and funnel it back into Adam. The thing is that when John had stolen it from Adam, it had integrated with his own and become almost completely Balcoin. So when she funneled it back into Adam, it was going to never truly be completely Tentagel. The longer he was in control and lived his life, the more his Tentagel magic would supersede and regain control, but there would always be trace hints of Balcoin in his magic and that was where the "vulnerability" for her would lie.

Should, for any reason, Adam wish to attack her, it would take her magic a bit longer to realize it was an attack. The things was that John's magic wasn't the only one in her; Chloe had her own _and_ Francis Balcoin's there, and she could feel they weren't properly assimilated as one inside of her so while John's magic mightn't sense the attack, hers (both the Balcoin _and_ the Hibbins) and Francis' magic would. And once, if ever, the magics inside of her truly blended in with each other a hundred percent, her magic would be completely different from the bit in Adam and his would seem closer to that of one of her siblings, which her magic would be able to sense immediately and react to. It was why she wasn't too worried about the whole thing.

She wasn't about to explain that to Adrian Tentagel though. He was helping her now with this but that didn't meant she trusted him. He was getting something very important out of this so obviously he'd be as helpful as he could.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked softly. "Your face is red."

"Hush," she scolded him for breaking her concentration. "I'm trying to connect with you enough to sense the magic inside of me that should be inside of you. Stop with the distracting conversation."

"It's turning _purple_." Adam was totally ignoring her. "Are you in pain?"

"_Adam_!" she snapped, glaring up at him. "Stop distracting me!"

His eyes narrowed. "You _are_ in pain."

Chloe sighed, closing her eyes tightly, trying to block his words out and concentrate on her search. It really wasn't pain, more like discomfort, the blonde searching inside of her for the power that belonged to Adam. She tried her best to concentrate but in the back of her mind, Chloe couldn't help but wonder how many others John had stolen magic from. Considering Adam was the only one who'd followed her around, she guessed he was the only one the Desolate Existence had been used on, but that didn't mean John hadn't taken the powers of other witches and added them to his own.

Hadn't Diana told Chloe about the amulet Cassie had found? The one John had wanted? Hadn't she told Chloe that it'd possessed the magic of a whole _coven_ that John had killed to steal their magic? That the ghosts had haunted Cassie for revenge for their deaths? That John had been pissed when Cassie had destroyed the amulet and its power?

Were there other amulets out there or had he just assimilated the other magics into his as he had Adam's?

She felt sick to her stomach.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Whitney's voice pierced the queasy haze. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes, looking up into Adam's blues. "Help me here, Adam. It was _your_ magic."

"Chloe-" he tried.

"_Help_ me."

Adam sighed, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek, much like she was cupping his, moving their other hand so that instead of her holding his wrist, their fingers were threaded. He tightened his grip on her hand as his blues stared intently into her greens.

Immediately, Chloe felt the blacks of her eyes expanding as something inside of her reacted. She felt lightheaded, horribly dizzy as her lips parted, feeling the magic begin to burn inside of her as she tried forcing it back into Adam.

Suddenly the symbols on the walls all around her burnt brightly with blinding light as something inside of her erupted in agony, Chloe unable to keep the screams silent as something splintered inside of her. It was as if, within her, pieces of her magic were stripping away from the whole, the process horrifyingly painful, her whole body trembling as her screams filled the chamber. She could feel the magic crawling back out of her mouth before slipping through her parted lips, twirling in the air before entering Adam.

"Chloe?" Adam's eyes were wide and he tried to let go of her and yet seemed unable to. "CHLOE!"

She couldn't do anything but scream, her body seeming fused to him, the pain unending as black circles danced in front of her gaze.

"_Chloe_!" It sounded as if Diana, Whitney and Greg had yelled it at the same time, and as they tried to draw closer, they were repelled by the magic at work.

Something seemed to snap in the back of her mind and Chloe's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

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Agony-filled screams were echoing from every direction like a banshee shriek, the symbols all around them blinking insanely, almost as if they too were crying out in pain.

The teens left by themselves stood up immediately, subconsciously moving towards each other in the middle of the room, gazes on the multiples tunnels that opened into the room they were staying in. They couldn't tell what tunnel the screams were coming from, seeming to be coming from every single one and yet that didn't make any sense. The only thing they knew was the identity of the person screaming.

Byron was the first to react, racing towards the tunnel Chloe and the others had disappeared in, and yet he hit an invisible wall.

Cassie's eyes widened as she hurried to the other tunnel and held her hand out, finding an invisible wall there as well. "We're trapped."

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Diana Meade kept pounding against the shield that'd come up between them and Chloe, wanting to get in there and yank her away from Adam, but nothing she was doing was able to work. She couldn't even get through to Chloe and she was the Eye! Wasn't that her whole purpose? Or was it Greg's purpose now? Was the fact that she wasn't an official part of the Circle the reason why Greg had become an Eye? Was it to replace her? Was her purpose null and void now?

In front of their eyes, a figure began to take shape, Adrian gasping behind her as Adam Knight began to appear. He was taller than Diana had expected, and to be honest, looked nothing like she had envisioned either. He was older, probably closer to Jason's age than theirs, which surprised her because his innocence had always made her think he was around their age. He had brown hair, creamy skin, and blue eyes that were wide in horror as he stared down at Chloe.

"_Adam_..." Adrian whispered, taking a step closer.

Adam ignored his father, visibly trying to pull away from Chloe but they seemed fused together almost, as the magic continued to seep out of her screaming mouth and into him.

Chloe's eyes were rolled back in her skull, only the whites showing, her body going limp, Adam managing to keep her standing but barely.

"_Chloe_!" Whitney banged hard against the shield and each time he did, it became visible for a split second.

"If she dies..." Greg left the threat unfinished as he glared at Adrian.

Suddenly, Chloe's eyes rolled forwards and she blinked, staring up at Adam as the screams stopped, the blonde seeming to stare blankly at him.

"_Chloe_?" Adam whispered, voice strong yet worried. "Are you okay?"

She continued to stare up at him before pushing away, separating from him and turning to look at them all curiously.

"Adam-" Adrian moved closer to the shield.

Chloe turned to him and _hissed__,_much like a snake would, her pupils expanding, her body swaying slightly as she eyed everyone.

"What's wrong Chlo?" Greg whispered, eyes narrowed.

She blinked in his direction, the enlarged black pupils shifting into a more reptilian shape, her skin beginning to seem almost scaly as she continued to eye everyone in a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"What's happening to her?" Diana turned to Adrian, tightening her hands into fists.

"I have no idea," the man whispered, eyes wide, genuinely shocked as he gazed inside.

Greg licked his lips before reaching out and resting his hand on the shield. He breathed in and out before closing his eyes, the shield giving a little shiver.

Diana turned towards Greg, realizing what he was doing. He was using his TouchSight ability on Chloe's shield to see if he could See something that would explain things better – give them a little bit of insight into what the hell was happening.

"You have to have some idea as to what this is." Whitney glared at Adrian.

"I don't, I swear," Adrian hissed back. "My _son_ is locked inside there with her! I wouldn't do this on purpose!"

"Her Balcoin magic must be fighting this," Diana whispered.

"Chloe?" Adam whispered, drawing the girl's attention to him. "Are you okay?"

"It's not the Balcoin magic doing this." Greg's hand slipped from the shield to press against his forehead. "It's her _Hibbins_ magic that's at work."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Adrian Tentagel wanted to know.

And suddenly it hit Diana hard. "Her mother's a shapeshifter."

Whitney's eyes widened. "But I thought she hadn't gotten the shifter gene?"

"It's always been in her DNA." Adam frowned, keeping Chloe's attention on him. "The pain – the confusion in the magic – it must have activated the dormant shifter cells in a ploy to try and protect her."

"Yeah, but Moira's human mind was always in control of her body," Whitney reminded. "Chloe's consciousness doesn't seem to be present."

"What did her mother transform into?" Adrian frowned at the looks of distrust he was receiving. "Now isn't the time! What does her mother shift into?"

"A wolf." Adam spoke his first words to his father that the other man could hear. "Her mother shifts into a normal wolf."

Adrian paused, smiling at his son, before clearing his throat and shaking his head. "It means that she's caught in mid-shift. That's why she's still feral and yet not. The Hibbins magic is too weak to actually complete the shift, which is why the gene was dormant and she hadn't shifted before." He turned to Greg. "What else did you See?"

"Nothing much, just what I already told you," he took in a deep breath, "and hisses."

"Diana, you're going to have to get through to her," Whitney spoke calmly.

Diana's eyes widened. "I don't know if-"

"You can do this." The blonde caught her gaze, voice ridiculously calm given everything. "You've done this before when her mind's been somewhere else. You can connect to her. You're her Eye."

"So is Greg!" Diana cried out.

"He Sees things you don't, Diana." Whitney continued speaking calmly. "You can See things he doesn't. You're two different sorts of Eyes." He licked his lips. "Greg's Seen what he needed to to help us, now it's your turn." He gave her a little smile. "You can do this. I know you can."

Diana gulped, licking her lips, trying to push away her insecurity. Whitney was right. She could do this. She _could_.

Taking in a deep breath, the brunette turned to her sister, who was watching the hand Adam swayed slowly in front of him much like a cobra might the flute of a snake charmer. "Chloe?" When she got no response, the brunette cleared her throat and placed her hand on the shield, much like Greg had. "_Chloe_."

The blonde swung away from Adam, head tilted to the side, those reptilian orbs blinking as she eyed Diana curiously.

"_Hey_." Diana gave her a small smile, trying to connect with Chloe, wherever she was inside. "Chloe, it's me, Dee. Your sister. Remember me?"

Chloe moved fluidly, no recognition in those eyes, yet curiosity obvious as she reached the shield and paused, hissing softly.

"Come on, Chlo. I know you're in there somewhere." Diana smiled more genuinely, fascinated by the golden scales stretching across the bridge of Chloe's nose and her cheeks. "You need to take control again, Chloe. You need to change back now."

Diana closed her eyes tightly, concentrating intensely. _Chloe, you need to transform back_. She opened her eyes, staring at her sister. "Please, Chloe."

Slowly, with each blink, those eyes started turning human, the scales disappearing until finally Chloe blinked and her orbs were green once more. "Dee."

Diana grinned brightly, so utterly relieved. "Hey, big sis."

Chloe gave her a weak smile as the shield shattered like glass around them, the blonde falling into her arms, body shivering. "I need some _serious_ pain killers right now."

Diana watched Adrian go to his son and hug him tightly, smiling as she hugged her sister as well. "You did it, Chloe."

"Good." Chloe yawned, resting her forehead against Diana's shoulder as Whitney and Greg arrived by her side. "Now, to celebrate, I want to go to sleep for a couple of years."

Suddenly she was swung around and Adrian Tentagel hugged the surprised blonde tightly, his voice choked. "_Thank you_."

Diana smiled as she watched Chloe awkwardly hug him back.

Whitney and Greg went to greet Adam, who hung behind, watching his father and Chloe.

Diana hugged herself tightly and smiled, watching everyone, but especially her older sister. Tonight had been hectic and she knew it would always be known as the night Adam became visible, and yet Diana would remember it for another reason as well. She'd remember it as the night that she decided to be bound to Chloe's Circle. The brunette had felt conflicted and confused until she'd faced the possibility of being replaced.

Standing there, there was no doubt in Diana's mind anymore what she was supposed to do or where she was supposed to be.

As soon as Chloe slept this one off, the brunette was going to ask her if she could become the third _official_ member of her Circle.

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**TBC**


	74. Two Weeks - Make Me

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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The group stood outside the house as they said their goodbyes. Adam had been separated from his family for too long and now that his father had him back, (and had called the family to let them know what had happened), everyone was desperate to have the youngest Tentagel home. Even though those in the temporary Balcoin home hadn't been able to see or hear Adam (other than Chloe), they'd grown close to Adam and were hugging it out (at least the girls were) while the guys were giving manly handshakes.

"This will not be forgotten, Chloe Balcoin," Adrian Tentagel declared as he watched his son, who'd pulled Whitney aside, the two appearing to be in deep conversation. "I thought my son was forever lost to me; I'd given up all hope." He finally tore his gaze from his son and turned it on Chloe. "I will never be able to repay you for what you have done for my family."

It reminded her of what she'd told Adam not that long ago. "My father never should have done what he did to Adam. He stole _so much _from him that I'll never be able to make up for."

Adrian eyed her thoughtfully before taking in a deep breath. "If what Adam says is true – if Lionel, Janus and your father did release _him _– I will speak to Sigan and Wylt and find out the truth of this. I will contact you with whatever we discover."

"What can you tell me about the Seventh now?" Chloe knew it wasn't the time, knew she was pushing it, but she couldn't help it. "He could be out there."

"Let us hope that he _isn't_." Adrian frowned darkly. "There's a _reason_ why the Seven became the _Six_, but it is a tale that is best told another night. What I _can_ tell you is that a Balcoin played heavily in his imprisonment in the shadow realm."

"I'm guessing the reason why he was imprisoned and not killed was because, like with the Six, if one of the Original families dies off, the magic in _all_ the families die." Chloe could see the shock on his face that she knew of this, knowing that this was truly the answer. "How long has he been imprisoned? From what I saw of Adam's memories, it made it seem like he'd been there for a very long time." But if so, it couldn't be the man at the school party because he hadn't seemed a day over twenty-five. "What did he do to be imprisoned?"

"When I return to you with the information as to whether he is free or not, I will explain things better," Adrian promised, bringing his hand down on Chloe's shoulder. "But for now, all I can tell you is that you of all people must be very careful. If he truly walks among us once more, we will _all_ feel his wrath, but it is _you_ whom he will visit his special hell upon."

"_Why_?" Chloe whispered. "I get that a Balcoin did a bit more to him than the other Six to kick him into his prison cell, but why so much hatred towards Balcoins?"

Adrian seemed to consider something before sighing. "Because, Chloe, the Balcoin that closed the key to his prison was his _wife_."

Chloe's eyes widened. "But if the Balcoin was powerful enough to close a _shadow_ realm, she would have had to have been the _head_ of the Clan."

Adrian nodded.

Chloe felt a chill race down her spine. "Other than me, there have only been two female Firstborns in Balcoin history that I know of and Arabella Balcoin married someone who did _not_ end up getting himself thrown into some sort of mystical prison."

"No, he didn't," Adrian agreed.

That chill became fingers of ice. "The first Balcoin." Her eyes widened. "He was the husband of the _Original_ Balcoin." Seeing Adrian's slow nod, Chloe felt dizzy. "But how is that _possible_? How's he still _alive_?"

"I-I cannot explain it all at this moment."

She ran shaky fingers through her hair as she thought about another issue she had with what he was telling her. "The heads of the Six are not allowed to intermarry."

Adrian caught her green gaze and held it. "Now you know why."

Chloe opened her mouth to mention the man from the party but then shut it, realizing that it couldn't have been him. The Seventh had serious reasons for hating her family. He'd have killed her immediately had that been him. No. That guy had to have been someone else and thus _her_ problem. She didn't want to involve Adrian in her problems more than she had to. Especially when she wasn't too sure she could trust him.

Adam appeared, wrapping the surprised blonde in a hug, which she slowly and awkwardly returned. She could see behind her that Faye, Cassie and Diana were _all_ enjoying the view of Adam's backside, Cassie grinning with female appreciation, Diana nibbling on her bottom lip and Faye giving Chloe a devilish wink and a thumbs up.

Rolling her eyes at the girls, Chloe hugged Adam more genuinely, realizing she was going to miss him. She closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy the hug, surprised to realize that while she was happy he was whole once more, she was going to be sad to see him go. "Take care of yourself… and pick up a phone once in a while and let us know you haven't forgotten us."

"_I know who you are_," he whispered into her ear, reminding her of the notes he'd sent her for months before finally making contact.

"Who am I?" she asked softly, clutching at the back of his jacket, nostalgia hitting hard.

"A _whore_."

"_What_?" A cold chill raced down Chloe's spine as Adam's grip on her grew painful. "What are you – Adam, you're _hurting me_!" And yet, as she yanked away enough to look into his face, Chloe went frozen when instead of Adam Knight, the man from the party held her punishingly. "_You_."

He smiled darkly down at her. "You're like Georgie Porgie; kissing everyone left, right and center. But your kisses, like Georgie Porgie's, will only make the ones you kiss _suffer_." He reached out and grabbed her chin harshly, tilting her head painfully upwards. "Do you know _why? Georgie Porgie_?"

Chloe tried to fight him, tried to push him away, tried to use magic – but _nothing_.

He laughed, leaning forwards to tsk in her ear. "Still don't know who I am?"

She clawed at his hands, drawing blood, his laughter ringing in her ears as she dug in her nails and managed to tear his hands from her face. "You're the _Seventh_."

He tilted his head to the side. "That's all?"

"My ancestor, your wife, kicked your ass into some mystic prison until my father was _stupid_ enough to release you in exchange for something." Chloe gulped.

He grinned. "What about the deal Francis Balcoin made with me? Has the _brilliant_ investigative journalist figured that out yet? No? I thought not."

_What_? What did Francis Balcoin have to do with any of this?

"What about the _exact_ nature of John's deal with me?" He eyed her curiously. "Still not ringing a bell?"

She clenched her fists. "This isn't a joke, this isn't a laughing matter!"

"Oh, I agree. It isn't. The genie's out of the bottle and the bottle's been destroyed." He moved towards her, reaching out to touch a lock of her hair. "The Six are going to _beg_ to be sealed up in that hell-hole they left me in by the time I'm done with them."

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Gasping, Chloe shot up, looking around her, disoriented. It took a couple of minutes for her to remember where she was, the blonde bringing her hands to her face as she told herself it was just a dream, just another dream. It wasn't anything important, just a sign that she was too stressed. It'd been two weeks since Adam had left, two weeks since Adrian had told her he'd try to find out what was happening and get back to her, two weeks of near _peace_.

In the background, Cassie and Diana were arguing in Shakespearean English, the girls quite uncomfortable on the stage of the auditorium. They still had to refer to cue cards sometimes when they were stuck, but otherwise seemed to be doing well. Chloe didn't know exactly _what_ Greg had on the _both_ of them to have gotten them to agree to step in so last minute like this, but she decided she didn't want to know. She'd gotten enough when publishing the story two weeks back about how the actresses originally playing Hermia and Helena had gotten into a fight over the actor playing Lysander (how ironic was _that_?) and when their understudies had gotten in the middle, trying to pull them apart, the four of them had somehow managed to fall off of the platform and had all broken something or another, ruining _all_ of their chances at starring in the females roles. Again, Chloe had _no idea_ what Greg had on her sisters, but they weren't doing too bad of a job and they _did_ look nice so she figured she would just enjoy their torture. Also, since they had to practice every day after school, it meant Chloe knew where _they_ were at all times, and all things considering, she appreciated that.

Chloe blinked away the sleep from her eyes, yawning, not surprised she'd had a nightmare given the fact that Byron had had another episode the night before. It hadn't been as bad as the first, but she'd stayed down below with him anyway and hadn't gotten any sleep, fretting over his condition while reading the Balcoin book of spells, trying to find a way to help him. So far, there wasn't any way to help anyone, just a lot of ways to hurt other people, terribly, and the descriptions had been chilling.

A shadow jumped over the back of the chairs in the auditorium and Van collapsed next to her, expression pinched. He didn't speak, merely slouched in the chair and gazed at the actors. He was in a bad mood and it was understandable.

Dawn Stiles had left Smallville.

Even with Brent gone, Dawn hadn't been able to get over what had happened to her, and Chloe could get that. She'd been forced to do things – the girl couldn't get over it. She couldn't handle being touched, even by Van, and she'd started having a phobia with guys. She needed psychiatric help. Her parents had a family friend who was a hot shot counselor for girls who'd been abused and they'd all moved to Washington so she could start seeing her. Van had understood why Dawn had left, why she couldn't see him anymore, but that didn't mean that it wasn't hitting him hard. Though to be honest, Chloe knew that what was _really_ bothering Van wasn't that Dawn had left, he knew she needed this and he could be supportive. No. What was really eating Van was the fact that when the thing with Brent had been happening, when Dawn had needed him, he hadn't been able to see through what was happening and be there for her – to help her. Chloe had tried getting him to understand that there was no way he _could_ have known what was going on, and yet Van was punishing himself over it.

Chloe reached out and placed her hand on Van's comfortingly.

"Is he dead?"

Chloe didn't need to ask who he was asking about. "Yes."

"Did you do it?"

"No."

Van tightened his grip on her hand. "Did it hurt?"

Her mind returned for a second to the sounds of his screams and his body being torn apart as he was eaten alive. "Unbelievably."

"_Good_."

Silence descended on the two teens sitting in the darkened seats, staring at the platform as Puck enchanted the wrong lovers.

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"You know, Byron, if your Dark personality keeps throwing me around like some sort of matchstick doll, my masculinity is gonna take a blow." Mikhail snorted in dark amusement from where he was seated, staring at Lucas and Byron's backs. A cool breeze played with his hair and he closed his eyes to the feel, to the relaxing sensation. They were enjoying the night sky on the back porch of the house they were renting, the inside seriously quiet due to the fact that the others were all out either at theatre or football practice.

"I'm sorry, I-" Byron looked away, ashamed.

"Are you _kidding_?" Lucas grinned, wrapping an arm around the thinner boy's neck as they leaned against the porch's wood railing. "Keeps us on our toes! Makes sure we don't get fat."

"_I'm_ not the one who has to worry about getting fat." Mikhail snorted from where he was seated on the porch swing.

Lucas' lips parted. "_Take that back_! It's _muscle_! You wouldn't know because you're nothing but a string bean!"

Miknail sneered, smiling darkly. "Of course."

Lucas glared at him before turning to Byron. "Tell him this is _muscle_."

"It's muscle," Byron repeated obediently.

Faye slapped Lucas' ass as she passed by to sit down next to Mikhail on the porch swing, a bottle of Pepsi in her hand; the girl seriously addicted to those things. "Look how it jiggles. That _isn't_ muscle."

Lucas's lips parted once more. "I am not fat!"

Mikhail sent Faye an amused smile.

She returned it.

Lucas glared at the both of them. "Screw you, the _both_ of you." With that, he turned to Byron. "Next time you go Dark Byron, you knock him out."

Byron fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

Faye kicked out with her foot, hitting Lucas in his butt. "Insensitive much?"

"Woman!" Lucas twirled on her, rubbing his butt which stung from the kick. "What is your fixation with my butt?"

"It's so _big_ and _jiggly_," Faye taunted before bursting out into laughter when Lucas flipped her off. "You've got a bubble-butt, Lucas."

Lucas grabbed his ass, clearly worried about it, before glaring at her. "I don't have a bubble butt."

"I feel like playing _I Like Big Butts And I Can't Deny_ every time you walk into the room," Faye continued teasing.

"There's a thought." Mikhail smirked to Byron, who couldn't keep the grin off of his face no matter how hard he tried.

"Screw you three." Lucas pouted, folding his hands over his chest.

The three dark haired teens shared a look and burst out laughing at poor Lucas' expense.

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Cassie Blake found her gaze, as always of late, resting on the three interconnected lines at Chloe's elbow, the design appearing almost like an X with an I through the middle. It really didn't stand out, not like the other markings on Chloe's body did, and yet Cassie found herself drawn to that design over and over again because of its meaning. It'd been a mere X when the youngest female Balcoin had moved in with Chloe, but a week and three days ago, the I had been added when Diana had officially joined Chloe's Circle. It hadn't been anything like binding the Chance Harbor Circle had been. There hadn't been a Circle with joined hands and fire while the group chanted a spell. There just been Chloe and Diana, gripping the other's elbows as they repeated a promise to the other. It'd been simple. Surprisingly so. And yet Cassie could _feel_ the difference and she knew the others could too. Knew Mikhail could. Knew he didn't like it. Knew he resented it. But he knew, just like she did, that Diana had been in Chloe's life long before they had and that if any of them were going to be accepted into the Circle, it made sense that she was the first.

In the back of Whitney's truck with Diana and Greg, Cassie played with her phone as they drove to Edge City after practice had ended to meet with the Lost Boys, as Chloe had taken to calling the guys there. Mikhail and the others were taking Lucas' car and were driving ahead of them to show them the way. Ever since Brendan and Trent had come to visit the night of the party, Chloe had tried to go once a week to Edge City to visit the boys there, and this would be the first night that the whole group would be joining her as well.

"Don't be ridiculous." Chloe rolled her eyes at Whitney from where she sat in the front with him. "That's an incredible school with an even _better_ football program that has seen _many_ professionals come out of it. Why _wouldn't_ you apply for a scholarship once we graduate if Jason thinks you can easily get one with your performance on the field? Who _cares_ if it's halfway across the country? That's what holidays are for!"

"You're the one being ridiculous." Whitney frowned at her. "Stupid even." He was the only one who ever said things like that to Chloe, and while it annoyed Cassie, she never said anything because Chloe let him and because she knew that, in his own way, Whitney was trying to look out for her sister. "I'm not going to abandon you all when we graduate next year just so that I can throw a pigskin around. Especially not with this whole Seventh thing still up in the air. Plus, I'm your Hand. That means commitment." He shrugged. "And Met U's football program isn't that bad either. I mean, _Coach Teague_ is studying there for crying out loud."

"Only because Lex is making him – and it's only temporary and you know it." Chloe frowned at Whitney. "Just because we're a Circle doesn't mean you and Greg have to give up your personal lives, your _futures_, and dedicate your lives to making sure I'm safe." She then tried to smile, tried to play this off as not an important conversation. "I'm not saying that there isn't a threat out there, because honestly, when _isn't_ there a threat? But life won't be worth living if it's done in constant fear. Anyway, things are going uncommonly well for us at the moment. Lionel Luthor and his Circle have left Smallville. Adam is cured. Lex decided to up and leave Smallville with most of his group as well, without so much as saying good bye, merely leaving a letter for me with Jason – who he's left to keep an eye on me like some sort of silent spy..." She paused, obviously more affected by the deterioration of her relationship with the coach and PE teacher than she wanted to admit, the girl returning to a forceful, blinding smile before continuing. "I'm halfway through the Balcoin book of shadows and hopefully closer to a cure for Byron. Greg, Cassie and Diana are starring in a school play. I'm developing a relationship with the Lost Boys AND the Crows are continuing with their winning streak. Go Crows!" She then sighed. "Please don't throw away your future."

Whitney merely eyed her before shaking his head and looking away. "I'm not."

"Yeah," Greg declared from the back. "He'd probably be homesick and have to return within the first couple of months anyway. Better save him from the humiliation."

Diana stared between the two of them before quickly changing the topic, obviously trying to avoid a fight. "_Talking_ about humiliation, I'm not _half_ as psyched about the whole starring role thing as you seem to be."

"Me neither, for the record." Cassie finally entered into the conversation.

"Oh, come _on_." Chloe grinned, turning in her seat to eye them teasingly. "I'm going to be that embarrassing parent in the audience with the huge video camera telling everyone 'that's my child'!"

"Please don't," Cassie begged.

"The filming should be embarrassing enough, right?" Diana tried to reason with their eldest sibling.

"I'll think about it," Chloe promised with a little mischievous smile, gaze going to Greg. "No promises though."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "Why do I feel cold fingers of dread crawling down my spine?" At the looks he was getting at that, he blinked. "_What_?"

"Seriously," Whitney laughed, giving him a look through the rearview mirror, "when are you just going to stop pretending to be this uneducated bad boy and admit to the fact that you're a Shakespearean Bug Boy who uses phrases like "cold fingers of dread"?"

"Screw you, Fordman. I'm uneducated! I'm crass! I'm edgy! I fight against the system! The man! I-I-!" Greg deflated. "Chicks dig the whole bad boy persona, okay? Just – just _pretend_ I'm actually completely uncouth, okay? I've got a good thing going here."

"_Uncouth_." Whitney shook his head.

"Well, if it helps any, _I_ like Bug Buy," Chloe offered.

Greg smirked. "Yeah, well, you're freaky like that."

Diana howled in laughter, wiping at her eyes which were watering.

"Hey!" Chloe laughed, swiping at Diana for laughing at that before raising an eyebrow at Greg. "I'm _definitely_ embarrassing you come show night!"

Diana hugged herself, barely able to speak through her laughter. "You asked for it!"

He pouted at her.

Cassie watched them, feeling a little left out, before her gaze returned to that design on Chloe's elbow.

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"Wendy!" Brent grinned as he opened the door to her. "Long time no see!"

Chloe's eyes widened, not having seen Brent since the kidnapping incident. She had wondered why he hadn't come with Trent the night she'd been dealing with _her_ Brent. "Tell me about it."

"The boys tell me that you've been visiting them during my absence, color me jealous." Brent held the door open, allowing her and the others entrance to the warehouse where the boys were in various activities, all stopping what they were doing and coming towards them once they realized they had visitors.

"It's the Girl Most Likely!" Brendan laughed as he jogged through the crowd, grabbing Chloe by her hips and twirling her in the air before lowering her to the ground. "I'll collect you one day, I swear it."

"She's not a _Pokemon_." Trent rolled his eyes as he gave Brendan a little shove, stoic as ever. "Hello, Chloe. I have what we were talking about the last time you were here. If you would come with me..."

Chloe nodded before pausing. "By the way, guys, this is Faye and these are my sisters, Cassie and Diana. Also, Whitney Fordman and Greg Arkin, Hand and Eye respectively. Show they _all_ the respect they deserve." She turned to leave when her gaze fell on someone and her eyes widened. "_You_."

Licking his lips, the boy emerged from the group. "Hello."

Diana gasped, eyes widened. "_Grant_?"

Grant flinched, looking away, nervous.

In fact, all of the boys were nervous, worried, and in seconds she realized why.

Chloe stared between them, beating herself for being so shocked. Hadn't Grant told her that he'd worked for her father? That the reason he'd brought Diana to her was because it was what John had told him to do should anything happen to him? Obviously Grant would return here some day. To the only place he'd consider home.

Like the others, he was a Lost Boy and this was his only home.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe moved towards Grant and waited until he finally turned his gaze to her before reaching her hand out to him.

Grant gulped, hesitating a second before placing his hand in hers.

Closing her hand around his, Chloe gave the boy a little smile before shaking his hand. "Thanks."

His eyes widened in shock. "W-what?"

"You brought Diana to me." Chloe gave him a soft smile. "Thank you."

He blinked, his lips tilting in a confused yet hopeful smile. "_Thank you_."

Chloe nodded before letting his hand fall through hers, her gaze going to a conflicted Diana. "You two have things you need to work out." Her gaze went to Trent. "Lead the way."

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Trent had taken Chloe to a large room above the warehouse. It was made of what looked like tinted, reinforced glass that made it seem like, despite the fact that one couldn't see inside, those in the room could easily see outside. Whitney didn't feel comfortable with the fact that Chloe was apparently up in there by herself with the tall and very intimidating looking guy. There was something in the dude's eyes that told Whitney he wasn't averse to hurting people and he probably liked it, a _lot_. He didn't like the idea of Chloe being alone in a place like that with a _guy_ like that.

"What's that place?" he finally asked Lucas, motioning to the room up above.

Lucas looked up from where he'd been talking to a group of the boys. "John's room."

"The _boss_' room," one of the boys corrected. "For whenever she chooses to spend a night with us."

That just didn't sound right, and it didn't sit right in Whitney's gut either, the thought of her spending a night alone with these guys.

Greg's scarred hand came down on his shoulder. "Calm down, Whit. Your over-protectiveness is showing like a flashing neon sign all over your face." He leaned in, voice low. "I _doubt_ he has her pinned against one of those glass walls."

"Shut up, Arkin. Don't be _stupid_." And yet Whitney could _feel_ Greg's laughter as the blonde found himself heading towards the staircase that led towards the room. He could see the boys all giving him looks, probably wondering whether they should try to stop him, but they'd apparently decided to wait and see. He passed Diana and Grant, who were talking off to the side, both of them appearing quite uncomfortable, and took the steps two by two before reaching the door. Trying the door knob, he found the door locked, a muscle jumping in his cheek as he took in a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Everything okay in there, Chlo?"

There were gazes on him.

Greg was openly snickering.

The door opened, Trent eyeing him with a raised eyebrow before motioning with his head for him to enter.

Whitney flipped Greg off when the brunet yelled "Go Crows!" before entering the room, finding that he'd been right; from inside, one could see everything in the warehouse and outside as well, the cameras installed in multiple places being monitored there.

Chloe sat behind a desk upon which twenty monitors were mounted, the blonde eyeing Whitney curiously. "Is everything okay?"

The Quarterback felt a little stupid now for letting Greg rile him up like that. "Yeah."

Trent moved past him and returned to stand behind Chloe, pointing to something on one of the monitors. "What about that one?"

"No. His nose was thinner." Chloe shook her head before motioning to another monitor. "And the eyebrows were bushier than that – didn't look so _waxed_."

Whitney frowned, confused with the conversation, and walked around to get a look at the monitors and realized that they were looking at screens filled with different human features. In the middle monitor was a mash-up of the selected features, revealing a man Whitney felt was vaguely familiar but he couldn't tell from where. "What's going on?"

"Remember the weird guy I met for two seconds at the after party from hell? The one who told me about Byron?" Chloe asked, switching the eyebrows for a different type and leaning back, eyeing the overall effect the change had on the man's face. "I'm trying to find out more about him and to do that, I want as accurate a picture of him as I can get. So Trent got me this software to play around with – and it's awesome." She gave the boy a smile before returning a frown to the finished work. "It's almost right but something seems _off_."

Whitney frowned, wondering why this guy seemed so vaguely familiar. Maybe he'd seen him at the after party but hadn't really paid attention to him? "It's just-" The Quarterback made the face more angular and the eyes more almond shape. "_There_."

Chloe's eyes widened. "You're right." She turned to Whitney. "How did you know?"

"I have no idea," he admitted.

Trent eyed them before reaching over and pressing a button, sending the picture to print. "I'll have our sources look into this person and I'll find out who it is." Grabbing the picture after it printed, Trent stormed out to get started, the door slamming shut behind him.

Left in the dimly lit room, Whitney cleared his throat as he gaze around, blues landing on the large, comfortable looking bed before going to all the other things around the place. "So, your dad's room, huh?"

"They changed the bed, apparently, but basically everything else was his." Chloe rose from the chair and stretched, looking around. "It really doesn't give you a feel for him as a person at all though, does it? Other than the fact that he liked to keep an eye on everything at all times." She went to the wall and gazed down, hands against the tinted glass, watching Diana and Grant thoughtfully. "They seem to be okay."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Whitney asked, making his way to her side as he gazed down at them as well.

Chloe nodded wordlessly, resting her forehead against the glass.

The Quarterback sent her a sideways glance as a sigh escaped her lips. "What is it?"

"You came up here because you were worried about me, just like you're worried about me so you're thinking about applying to Met U when you graduate from high school." She was back onto the conversation they'd been arguing about in the car; the fact that Coach Teague had told him he had the potential to get a great sports scholarship and Whitney wasn't as psyched as everyone thought he should be. Chloe closed her eyes tightly. "You can't live your life worried about _mine__,_ Whitney. Hand or not, you have your own life you have to think of! Your own future!" She took in a deep breath. "Stop worrying about me so much."

He chuckled darkly. "If I don't, who will? You? You're too busy worrying about everyone else."

She twirled around so her back was against the glass, her eyes flashing angrily as she glared at him. "I'm _serious__,_ Whitney! Back off!"

He was sick and tired of this little attitude she'd developed since 'the after party from hell', had _had it _with how she seemed to be subconsciously building a wall between them once more, trying to make him go to school across the country, force him to dance with any random girl at the ball, constantly pushing him away from her and towards other people... It was pissing him off!

The Quarterback slammed his hands on each side of her head against the glass, his voice a low growl and eyes narrowed as he stared down into her widened greens. "Make me."

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**TBC**


	75. PART FOUR: Echo

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Chloe placed her hands palms-flat against the glass behind her on either side of her hips as she tilted up, greens meeting Whitney's blues, both annoyed and grateful that, unlike the others around her, he fought and questioned her and her decisions, her judgments, her _orders_. There was something to be said about the addiction total power and authority gave people and she could understand why her father was so eager to assume leadership of the Circle; of a group of younger witches who obeyed what he told them to do. And yet there was so much more to leadership than ruling. She was learning that with every day at the temporary Casa Balcoin. One had to be a referee, a mother, a sibling, a teacher, a doctor, a disciplinarian (and so many other things!), but most of all, one had to be a friend. She had to be someone that those who were with her could trust, could feel comfortable with, could rely on – could respect.

It was a lot on her shoulders and she knew that sometimes it went right over her head. She _was_ over her head with everything – sometimes she needed Whitney to do things like this – to shock her out of whatever state she'd worked herself into.

"So, remember when I talked to you about pushing Diana away and asked when you were going to do the same with me?" Whitney asked calmly, gazing down at her. "You're doing that now."

She gulped, taking in a deep breath. "Me worrying about your future is not me pushing you away."

"Has it ever occurred to you that I do _not_ want to go to Florida?" Whitney glared down at her. "I'm a _Metropolis Sharks_ fan, Chloe. Did it _ever occur_ to you that I might _want_ to try for _them_?"

No, it hadn't, and the blonde's green eyes widened.

"Yeah, because you were too busy planning what was best for me, just like you do for everyone in your family." Whitney didn't need her to answer, glaring down at her. "You might be the head of my Circle, but you're not my older sister; you don't get to decide things for me."

Chloe gulped.

"I know you're only trying to help, but seriously Chloe, back off." Whitney glared at her, leaning in closer so that the tips of their noses were almost touching. "You don't make my decisions. Not when it comes to my personal life or my future. You never will."

She worried her bottom lip, fingertips curling into the glass. "I'm sorry. I had no right to... _sorry_."

He let out a sigh and leaned his forehead against hers. "Didn't say all that for you to apologize." Whitney closed his eyes. "Just, don't push me away."

Her gaze lowered to her shoes. "I'm not."

"Then why does it feel like you are?"

Suddenly, magic flashed blindingly white between them.

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"So, you've been helping Patricia and her father." Diana didn't ask him more information about where they were or how they were doing because, to be brutally honest, she really didn't care. "Lex left Smallville with Oliver and Tess on a mission to find Patricia and her father. He left a letter with Chloe that said that there was too much he needed to know and he wouldn't be able to proceed without first being able to first finding Patricia."

"I doubt they'll find them but they're welcome to try." Grant seemed sure of this, highly uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. "How have you been doing? The boys tell me that you have officially become a part of Chloe's Circle."

"I'm an Eye." Diana nodded, lifting her symbol to show him, giving her ex-boyfriend a little awkward smile. "Greg's also an Eye and seems to be the first ever _Second_ Eye a Balcoin Circle has ever had." She pursed her lips. "We're guessing that means she doesn't have another Hand then."

"With her, you never know." Grant's gaze rose to the room above before lowering back to Diana. "The boys seem – highly impressed – with her. It's not the same with how they were with John. I can't exactly explain it, but they have accepted her as the new leader." He grinned sheepishly. "I know they're definitely happy she's nothing like Lucas _or_ Mikhail. There'd been nightmares from the boys at the thought before."

Diana shivered at the thought of a lecherous or highly uncaring Chloe.

"Exactly." Grant nodded, before licking his lips. "When Brent came to look for me, I-" He took in a deep breath. "I'm glad you're okay, Diana; that you're happy." He gave her a little smile. "Because I can see you're happy."

She blinked at that, pulling a dark strand behind her ear. "How so?"

"You're basically shinning with happiness," he replied softly.

Her eyes widened and she looked away. "I doubt I'm _shinning_."

Suddenly, the glass in the room above them came alive, crackling with electricity and millions of different colors, drawing everyone's attention upwards.

Mikhail blinked, standing up from where he'd been playing a video game against some of the boys. "That was unexpected."

Greg frowned. "What exactly _is _that?"

Lucas blinked, joining Mikhail's side as he gazed up. "Did they just-?"

"I think they did." Mikhail nodded.

"This is about to get interesting." Brent made a face.

"Great," Brendan mumbled.

"What's going on?" Faye wanted to know.

Cassie frowned. "Why is that room glowing?"

"Someone, start talking." Byron glared.

Grant ran his hand over his hair, sighing. "It looks like you all will be spending the night."

Diana glared at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's true that that was once John's room," Lucas finally answered with a sigh. "But it had another purpose."

Mikhail nodded, gazing up at the whitish glow. "He used to say that in it was a key to his Fortress of Solitude."

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As soon as the blinding magic disappeared, Chloe and Whitney blinked, rubbing their burning eyes. The shorter blonde looked around her in confusion, no longer finding herself in her father's room, instead in what looked like a crystal cave. There was immense power in each and every crystal that made up the walls and floors of the cave; power that flowed through her veins and made her dizzy, the blonde bringing her hand to her head as she tried to ground herself. She stumbled and might have fallen had Whitney not grabbed her arm, holding her upright as the room spun.

"Chloe?"

She closed her eyes, nausea hitting along with the incredible power, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"_Chloe?"_

Ignoring him, Chloe bent on her knees, breathing through the queasiness.

Whitney knelt down next to her, letting go of her arm and just waited silently next to her, seeming completely unaffected.

Finally the sickness passed enough for her to open her eyes and risk taking her hand from her mouth. "Where are we?"

Whitney didn't say anything, merely pointed above them.

Chloe's greens followed to rest on a large Balcoin symbol, similar to the one in the caves under Miller's Field. "It's a Balcoin cave."

"Then why is it making you sick?" Whitney asked.

"I don't-" She didn't get to answer because an agonizing pain wracked through her body and Chloe crumbled on the ground, curled in a fetal position, hugging herself as the pain throbbed through her.

"_Chloe_!" Whitney leaned over her before looking around. "I've got to get you out of here." He stood before hurrying towards one of the many tunnels heading out of the cavern they were in. "I'll find a way out."

Chloe cried as inside of her, her magic seemed to be tearing apart, reminding her of the night she'd been bathed in the light of the Balcoin symbol. Her body arched off of the floor before it rolled to the side and she ended up on her hands and knees. This whole cave system was pure quartz crystal. The accumulative energy, the _power, _it was sending her magic _insane_!

Her magic...

Chloe's eyes widened. "_Scales_."

Her magic manifested itself, and yet it wasn't its humanoid appearance but its reptilian one, and it was in agony. The creature writhed on the floor in a ball, its wings bleeding, its scales falling off. Chloe had been able to feel what was going on inside of her and yet to _see_ the violence of it shocked her to her core.

Forcing herself to her feet, Chloe staggered until she was directly under the Balcoin symbol… waiting, _waiting_ and yet nothing. "Come on!" She glared, sending a look towards Scales when the creature gave a shriek of pain. "COME ON!" The blonde returned her glare to the Balcoin symbol above and threw her hands, palms up.

Suddenly power descended on her like a flood, completely covering her and drowning the girl's screams with the sounds of thunder. Her body felt electrified, frozen in position. It was almost as if she stopped existing for a couple of minutes, her body mere particles of light, of energy, of magic and pain. Lots of pain.

And awareness.

Somehow, Chloe knew that this Cave was the second of three, her own Cave the third. Flashes of the first Cave, the Original, invaded her mind, downloading through her brain. Simultaneously, Chloe felt this Cave and hers _connect_ somehow in a way she couldn't explain or _understand_, and then the pain she'd thought was agonizing before became worse _tenfold_. It was so bad, she forgot what it was like _not_ to feel pain.

Finally, suddenly, it was over, and Chloe collapsed on her knees, crying.

Scales was gone.

"What _happened_?" Whitney was there though, his voice betraying a hint of hysteria as he scooped her in his arms, holding her there. "I was looking for – then I heard – I came back – _what happened_?"

She merely trembled, crying into his shirt, echoes of pain still trailing down her body.

"She was expecting it to hurt, but not this much," a very familiar voice announced, both teens turning their wide gazes to see John Balcoin seated upon some crystals. "It hurt a lot more than last time, didn't it?"

"You're dead," Whitney whispered, eyes wide. "You can't be here."

"This is _my_ Cave, I can be here if I want to be here, young man," the witch declared before sighing. "At least my consciousness can be here – or the part that I had placed here during my many visits to this place during my life. Consider it _my_ entries into the Balcoin book of spells without actually _writing _anything."

Chloe wiped at her eyes, body still twitching, as she stared at him. "So this is your echo."

"So you've been reading the Balcoin book of shadows, that's good." John, or his Echo, disappeared from above them only to appear in front of them, eyeing the two curiously. "When I sensed John's magic in you, I believed you'd killed John and stolen his magic. I do not feel emotion but my orders had been to kill whoever killed the _real_ John if they came here with his magic." John's echo shrugged. "But when you connected with the Cave, I was able to access your memories and realized that you, in fact, did not have a hand in killing me, so you live and the ownership of this Cave now passes to you." He eyed her thoughtfully. "I would be appreciative if you allowed me to stay as an echo and guard it while you are not here."

Echoes couldn't do anything on their own without orders from the one who'd created them, or, more specifically, the one who's magic had created them, so Chloe didn't see anything wrong with that. "Fine."

"Thank you." John nodded before his gaze went to Whitney. "My new connection with the Bleeding Caves tells me that you are the Hand, thought the husband until the other was inducted in the Circle, the TouchSight." He frowned. "A _second_ Eye? That hasn't been known to happen before."

"So we've been told." Whitney frowned at John's Echo.

"Two Eyes." John's Echo eyed Chloe, apparently still processing the information he was gathering from whatever link had been established between the two Caves. "A bound Circle with only Four in which the individual members can use their solo magic – you released the Tentagel boy?" The Echo frowned. "John wouldn't have been happy with that. The boy knew things John wanted secret."

Chloe motioned for Whitney to put her down, but she didn't let go of her hold on his shirt and he didn't let go of his supporting hold around her waist, her legs still trembling. "You mean about the Seventh."

"So you know." The Echo blinked.

"John set him free, yeah, I know." Chloe nodded before frowning. "Wait, why does everyone call _my_ caves the Bleeding Caves?"

"Because that is their proper name. The Caves formed and created by Balcoins for Balcoins are the Bleeding Caves, the Crystal Caves, and the Genesis Caves."

"I get the Genesis Caves, they were the first – and I get the Crystal Caves," she looked around the cave with a little dark smile, "but my cave doesn't bleed."

"Doesn't it?" The Echo asked. "Doesn't it seem to have a life of its own? Doesn't it throb with life?"

Chloe frowned, eyeing him, uneasy.

Whitney cleared his throat, drawing the attention to him. "About the Seventh, what could John have ever wanted from him enough to free him if he knew this Seventh had a vendetta against the Balcoins?"

Chloe felt a little silly for having changed the subject from the Seventh to the Caves and nodded, seconding the question to the Echo.

"What you don't seem to understand is that the Seventh wasn't just an Original Witch, which in itself made him more powerful than any witch alive today." The Echo frowned at them. "Rao Darkseid was more than just a Witch; his power unsurpassable and _dark_. He was thrown into a mystical prison due to his many attempts to destroy mankind, deeming them inferior. His wife, Vika Balcoin, the Original Balcoin, tried to save him; she did her best to change the evil in his heart but it was for naught and she was forced to unite with the other Five to stop him before he destroyed the world and those in it. Before he made paradise into hell. At that time, there was no dark magic in the Balcoin family and Vika was known as a healer, as a counselor. Despite her love for her husband, in the end she knew that the only right choice was to help create the mystical prison that would keep him imprisoned for the rest of eternity within." The Echo paused. "I believe she hoped he'd reflect during his eternity and realize he'd been wrong, that he would change and wish to redeem himself, and yet the opposite was the case and even though he was in a prison, he was still powerful enough to exert his influence somewhat on those outside."

Whitney frowned. "You still haven't answered my question."

"No, I haven't," The Echo admitted with a little nod. "You asked what John wanted desperately enough to risk releasing the Seventh. I will answer you." He turned his gaze on Chloe. "You. Your siblings." He tilted his head. "John was the last surviving member of his family and found himself unable to father children as a consequence of the darkest of forbidden magics he'd been casting since his teenage years. The darkest of magics take pieces of the caster, he just hadn't expected that it would take his fertility." The Echo paused for a moment. "As the last of his house, he realized that should he die, so would his family, and so he devised a plan. He, Lionel Luthor and Janus Le Fay would traverse to the mystical prison, name their prices and free the Seventh – who had the power to grant them their hearts' desires."

Chloe gulped as suddenly the enormity of what the Echo was telling her hit. "The Seventh was the reason I was born – the reason my siblings were born."

"Rao's magic removed what was crippling John and jumpstarted his dead fertility, yes, but the Darkseid magic didn't stay in John's system very long, only long enough for the first conception. After that John's own magic was able to heal his body."

Chloe's eyes widened. "So basically, Rao's magic acted like a _liver_ for John's magic? Filtering out all of the toxic backlash his constantly using the forbidden arts against other people had done to him? And also acting like a battery by jump-starting the dead swimmers?"

"I suppose you could put it that way." The echo nodded.

Chloe let out a little breath, turning her green gaze to Whitney's blues. "I think I'm going to faint now."

The Quarterback merely tightened his grip around her waist, securing her to him as his blues went to the echo. "Shouldn't John, Lionel and the others have made a pact that this Darkseid guy not hurt any of theirs if they let him go? I doubt they would be stupid enough not to do something like that."

"And why wait all this time to act?" Chloe wanted to know. "What does the fact that I'm a girl have to with anything? From Adam's memory of John's conversation with Lionel, it made it seem as if John having a Firstborn daughter would make everything go to hell. _Why_?"

"It is common knowledge that female Balcoin Firstborns have always been the strongest." The Echo blinked.

So did Chloe. "Shouldn't that be a _good_ thing?"

"I am not the one you should be asking this of," The Echo declared. "You need wisdom."

"Wisdom? Really?" Whitney sneered. "That's the best that you can-?"

Chloe's eyes widened, getting what the Echo was saying and feeling foolish for not having considered it as an option before. "I see."

John's Echo nodded.

Whitney turned to Chloe, confused. "What am I not getting?"

"I need to get back to the Bleeding – to _my_ Caves, I-"

"These are your caves now, too," The Echo reminded. "The connection has been made, they have been united once more in a common link."

Chloe took in a deep breath, still not sure what that meant. "I need to go to the Caves under Miller's Field." She turned to the Echo. "How do I get out of these Caves and back into John's apartment in Edge City?"

"That would be a waste of time, wouldn't it?" the Echo asked rhetorically. "You'd have to drive to wherever you've designated as the entrance to the Bleeding Caves. Why not just go there now? Straight from here?"

"We can... do that?" Whitney blinked.

"What part of connected, united through a common link was not understood?" The Echo raised an eyebrow at them before turning to Chloe. "I suspect you know what to do."

"Hardly ever," the girl admitted with a little shaky intake of breath as she turned to Whitney. "You should probably go back and tell the others what-" She stopped when she saw the expression on his face, giving a little chuckle as she shook her head. "_Fine_. If this doesn't work and no one knows how or why we both died horribly, it's all _your_ fault."

"I can live with that."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe pulled away from Whitney, hand lowering to slip into his before leading him back under the Balcoin symbol. She took in a deep breath, pulling him in a little closer as she lifted her hand up towards it, palm-up.

"This feels a little like Tron, but with the genders reversed," Whitney quipped.

Chloe sent him a disbelieving look before shaking her head with a little laugh and returning her gaze up above her. "Hold on then." She closed her eyes, trying to feel for the link, the connection that the Echo had talked about, seeing a flash of the Balcoin symbol in her – in the _Bleeding_ Caves – the blonde latching onto that image as a tingle raced down her body and magic erupted in blinding light.

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There'd been a burst of magic, the glowing had stopped, and the door opened on its on.

Neither Whitney nor Chloe were in the room anymore.

This time, the Lost Boys weren't so calm.

"Where the hell _are_ they?" Mikhail snapped, throwing the chair across the room.

Cassie reached out and grabbed Lucas' hand, her blues eyeing his hazels questioningly.

At first he looked like he was about to shrug her off, but then he sighed, running his hand over his hair. "Whenever the glowing stopped and the doors opened, John was _always_ in this room. _Always_. He insinuated that while the glowing went on, he was somewhere else, but he _always_ returned here."

"It doesn't make any sense!" Mikhail looked all around, as if the two might be hiding.

Diana hugged herself tightly. "If they're not here – where are they?"

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"I don't believe it." Whitney chuckled as he stepped away from Chloe, eyeing the symbol covered walls they knew oh-so well. "We're _here_."

Chloe's gaze was on the large Balcoin symbol on the main cavern, realizing just how little she actually she knew about this place. She sent Whitney a little look before moving past him to place her palm against the wall, envisioning the room in particular in her mind, a part of her shocked and yet a part of her not as the ground lit up, showing a path amongst the many different intertwining tunnels.

"That's new." Whitney blinked before turning his blues on her. "Right?"

"On command? Yeah." Chloe nodded before motioning with her head for him to follow as she began moving down the pathway. "Good thing I have my comfortable shoes on because this is going to take a while."

"Is it now?" His long legs helped him easily keep in stride, the taller teen sending her a sideways glance as they walked side by side. "You mind letting me in on where we're going?"

"We're going to see some old acquaintances."

He raised an eyebrow. "Old acquaintances. Down here." His blues suddenly widened. "You can't be _serious!_"

"You heard John's Echo. I need Wisdom." Chloe licked her lips, not too happy with the plan herself given the fact that the last time she'd seen them, it hadn't been under the best of circumstances. "Where else am I supposed to get that sort of thing but from the Wisdom of Ages?"

"You _do_ remember that these are the same lunatics that tried to make you choose whether Greg or I died, right?" Whitney wanted to know, making a face, shrugging his hands into his letterman's pockets. "So forgive me if I don't think they're the most reliable of counselors."

Chloe sent him a sideways look, a twisted little smile on her lips as she nudged her shoulder into his. "I didn't know you were one to hold a grudge."

"They were going to kill me!" He pressed his point.

"Only if I chose Greg," she reminded flippantly.

He glared at her. "This is not funny."

"I know, I'm sorry." She sighed, hugging herself. "But everything worked out and both you and Greg are alive."

"Something I'm sure _no one_ down there is happy about, by the way," he grumbled.

"Someone pissed in your wheaties this morning, didn't they?" Chloe rolled her eyes. "You've been in a foul mood all day!"

"_You've_ had me in a foul mood. So if anyone 'pissed in my wheaties', it was _you_," Whitney declared snappily. "Makes me almost _miss_ the days you used to swap spit with Coach Teague because at least you weren't so damned-!"

Chloe pursed her lips, glaring at him. "Seriously? We're going to go there now?"

"Then the whole Lex Luthor phase took over and you-"

"Really? _Really_?" She threw her hands in the air. "I've said it once and I've said it twice! I've only ever been in lust with that man's brain! His _brain_!" She paused. "And maybe his hands. But the rest of him-!"

"And then with Adam _sleeping in your room _despite there being comfortable enough floors in Lucas or Mikhail's room, you weren't this bitchy either." Whitney was apparently going there. "Makes me think you need a constant love interest to be happy enough not to be questioning _everything_ in your life and pushing everyone away and-"

"_Oh__,__ don't be so overly dramatic_." She glared daggers at him, especially since he obviously wasn't even listening to her interjections. "And I was the only one who could see or _hear_ Adam. I was the only one who could _interact_ with him. It made sense that he stayed with me! That way he could have honest to god conversations and not have to write everything down! He was getting stronger, yes, but that still wore him down!"

"What did Lex's letter to you say?" Whitney was apparently jumping from one guy to the next. "You only just told us it said he, Oliver and Tess were on Patricia's trail. That's all. It had to have said more than that."

A muscle jumped in her cheek as she looked away from him. "It's none of your business."

He sneered. "I _see_."

"You see nothing." She glared at him before giving a little growl and throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "Fine! You want to know what my letter from Lex Luthor said?"

"Yeah!" Whitney nodded.

Chloe reached into her jacket's pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper and slammed it into his chest. "Enjoy!" And with that, she stormed on ahead.

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Why did she have the letter on her?

Whitney frowned at her back before unfolding the piece of paper and reading the ridiculously perfect cursive written within.

_**Chloe**_

_**I am writing this letter to you as I await the limo to take us to Metropolis, where we will board my private jet to Europe. I am going in search of Patricia and her father. Not in revenge as you might expect, but because I have a feeling that we all have been played. We all are pawns, pieces on a chessboard that only my father and a few others can see, and we each only have a tiny bit of information. There must have been more that Virgil knew for him to betray my father. I must find him and know what he knows. I will contact you once I find out what I know because I believe that you are at the root of it all.**_

_**It was my desire to speak with you at the Ball but due to circumstances**__**,**__** that was unable to occur**__**. I**__**t is why I take the pains to write this now in the little amount of time I have left here in Smallville and charge Jason with giving it to you without reading its contents. He will obey this order, I have no doubt, but I have much doubt about **__**everything else**__**. Especially about Jason and Davis, which is why I am leaving them in Smallville. Jason believes that I am leaving him to keep an eye on you, and Davis believes that I am leaving him to keep an eye on Jason, and yet I believe that both of them have been compromised. I cannot explain in detail in this letter, but I fear that they are not fully in control of themselves. Maybe they haven't ever been in full control. Maybe that is what has always drawn them both so strongly towards you.**_

_**The news is that Tentagel's missing son, who was presumed dead, was returned to him after the ball. It hasn't been said how this has happened but given the fact that Tentagel left with you**__**,**__** the Six know that somehow you're involved. I'll ask you about that at some other date, but I'll commend you for building bridges**__**. B**__**ecause if you have, then you have already cemented an alliance with the heir to the Luthor Clan and earned the gratitude of the current leader of the Tentagel Clan. Very cunning. Very Balcoin. Keep that up. You might need alliances in the future.**_

_**I also have had word on your mother. I don't know whether you care what has happened to her or not but I figured I should tell you that she was last heard of in Romania before all trace on her simply vanished in a massacre in the town she was in. There is no evidence whether she survived, was killed along with everyone else, or if she was the one carrying out the massacre. There was little left of the bodies for identification to be made but most likely**__**,**__** she was targeted and the village killed to hide her death. Your mother spent many years hidden**__**,**__** learning secrets that could have earned her enemies. At this point**__**,**__** it is only speculation and with the little there is to go by**__**,**__** there is very little chance it will ever be anything **__but__** speculation.**_

_**A last bit before I go. I have left a**__**n**__** SD card inside the envelope with this letter that has certain information that I have gathered from our experiments that I am sure you will find intriguing and enlightening, as well as some other information I thought you should know, or might like to.**_

_**Finally, I leave you with some words from our mutual friend: All war is deception.**_

_**Lex**_

Whitney looked up at Chloe's back, folding the letter, his annoyance from before gone. "I'm sorry, about your mother."

She stopped walking, letting him catch up with her before returning the folded paper to its place in her jacket's pocket and giving it a little pat. "It's kind of sad that the part that gets to me most is the confusion about what she was doing in _Romania _of all places."

Whitney hesitated, feeling like a tool, before placing his hand on her shoulder.

She sent him a sad little smile. "It's okay."

No it wasn't, but he was awkward and didn't do emotion well, never had and never would.

Chloe reaching down for his hand and continued on, following the pathway of light towards the Wisdom of Ages, silence their only company.

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**TBC**


	76. Omega

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Even if the others were trying to call them on their cellular, it wasn't as if they were at the mouth of the cave; they were going deeper and deeper, there was no signal here. It got hotter and hotter, both Chloe and Whitney pulling off their jackets and wrapping them around their hips as they continued on until they finally made it to the right entrance, the two sharing looks.

"You can stay here," Chloe offered.

"What? And miss out on the reunion with my good old pals?" Whitney asked with a little smile.

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head, and stepped forwards into the room, into the darkness, Whitney at her side as they stood within the pitch black room.

"No one home?" Whitney asked curiously.

Chloe looked around her. "Oh, they're here all right. I can feel thousands of eyes on us."

"That's got to be creepy." Whitney made a face.

"It is."

All around them, eyes started to appear, glowing in the darkness.

"Firstborn and Hand," a bodiless voice declared, "we welcome you."

"Um, thanks." Chloe cleared her throat, awkward considering how unpleasant things had been the last time she'd been here. "I'm here because I need to understand why my being a female is such a big deal when it comes to Rao Darkseid being free."

Loud murmurs echoed all around them; hisses, shrieks, claws scratching against stone.

Whitney frowned, looking around him, alert.

"SILENCE!" the male voice, the dominant one, yelled, the others hushing as one, dying down to silence. "Rao Darkseid is free? Who was responsible for this?"

Chloe let out a sarcastic little laugh. "John Balcoin."

The murmurs rose once more.

"Impossible," the voice declared. "Powerful or not, John couldn't have done something like that on his own."

"He didn't." Whitney shook his head. "Lionel Luthor and Janus Le Fay helped him."

The murmurs turned to cries.

"_SILENCE__,__ YOU COWARDS_!" the voice hissed as a man, the one from before, appeared, standing tall, turning towards Chloe. "Is this true? Does Rao Darkseid _truly_ walk this world again?"

Chloe nodded.

"Are there wars? Famines? Sicknesses without cures?" the man pressed.

Chloe and Whitney shared a little look before nodding.

"This is my fault." The man turned his gaze on them. "It is _I_ who started this, it was because of _my_ greed and weakness that he was able to get the foot hold, to _start_ what would end in this, in _now_."

Chloe frowned, stepping forwards. "What are you talking about?"

The man chuckled darkly. "You haven't realized who I am yet, have you?"

Chloe's eyes widened. "You _couldn't_ be."

"Unfortunately, I _am_." He sighed, raising his chin. "I am Francis Balcoin. It is _my_ magic that runs through your body – literally." He eyed her. "I see you've found the crystal they used to steal my magic and ingested it for yourself. Very gutsy move; my magic should have killed you given the amount of time it's been in you and the fact that it has pure, unfiltered darkness in it. I'm curious as to _why_ it didn't kill you, but given the fact that I sense John's magic in you, too, I'm guess you're just a _sponge_." His lips twisted. "A living crystal."

Chloe's eyes narrowed slightly at that wording. "Why is it such a big deal that I am a girl?"

"Especially since female Firstborns are supposed to be stronger?" Whitney reminded, stepping forwards.

Francis Balcoin, or at least his spirit, eyed them before letting in a deep breath. "It would not be a problem had it not been for the fact that, as a young man, I hadn't been the _strongest_ of witches. And we _all_ know how Balcoins view _weakness_."

"_You_ weren't strong?" Whitney sneered, disbelieving. "Come on. You don't really _expect_ us to believe that, do you? You were the one who created the Firstborn Trials! You were the one who felt that, if you were weak, you shouldn't _live_! You-!"

"Have you heard of a Napoleon complex? I might have had a variant of that," Francis admitted sourly before sighing. "That doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that I realized a way to change the game completely, to reinvent the Balcoin family name, which had fallen to the depths over the centuries. _I_ could change everything. _I_ could bring us back to our glory."

Chloe felt a cold chill race down her spine. "You really _did_ make a deal with Rao Darkseid."

Her dream-!

"Yes, I did." Francis Balcoin nodded. "I did not have the alliances John did. Darkseid knew I alone couldn't release him, and yet I _could_ promise him something he wanted in exchange for something I truly wanted."

"Dark magic." Chloe's voice was soft. "Our dark magic came from Rao Darkseid."

Whitney's eyes widened.

Francis nodded. "In a way you could say that, yes. He crafted the shadows, the _darkness__,_ in the realm he'd been trapped in, and created a power source for us, but it was far more than that. It's far darker than you understand. Rao Darkseid had powers that were always beyond our comprehension. Only together and through deception were the Original Six able to imprison him, knowing they couldn't _defeat_ him." He eyed the girl. "It is not for me to say the extent of what happened, except what you need to know. It is through my pact with Rao Darkseid that the Balcoins developed their dark magic, and it is why they are all vulnerable to him and his attacks. To his possession."

"Possession?" Chloe's eyes widened in horror.

"He has the ability to possess those whose hearts have been touched by darkness, making them his _minions_. They bare his symbol, invisible to most," Francis Balcoin declared. "Once they have been touched by him, they are under his control; most of the time, they don't even realize that what they are doing is being dictated by his will and not theirs."

Chloe brought her hand to her forehead.

Whitney narrowed his blues on Francis Balcoin. "What did you promise Rao Darkseid in return for your dark magic? If you couldn't free him, and you weren't powerful, what _could_ you offer him in return?"

Francis took in a deep breath. "What he'd been denied."

Chloe's stomach rolled at the familiar wording.

"I promised him that once he was free, he could have a Balcoin girl of his choosing." Francis stared firmly at Chloe. "Vika Balcoin had been expecting child when she'd turned on her husband, and during the battle, she'd lost that child, which would have been a girl. I promised Rao Darkseid another Balcoin girl, and knowing his taste for Balcoin Firstborns, I suppose he plans on claiming _you_."

Chloe bent to her knees, sick to her stomach.

"Why did John go to Darkseid?" Francis Balcoin wanted to know.

Whitney eyed Chloe, who was still bent on her knees, before his blues went to Francis. "He'd become infertile due to constant use of the forbidden arts."

If a spirit could have paled, Francis would have, those eyes turning on Chloe as he took a step backwards. "I understand now, why you're able to house my magic in your body without dying, why the pure darkness that left me sick in bed for _weeks_ seems to be so at ease in your veins."

Hand curled around her stomach, Chloe looked up at him, feeling so ill, foreboding rushing through her veins.

"When we sensed you freeing the Tentagel boy, I had wondered why the Hibbins magic inside you was so crippled, but it makes sense now," Francis Balcoin announced. "When Rao Darkseid's magic entered John's system, it became _one_ with him for the time of the conception, was the _dominant_ magic involved, and it only disappeared _after_ the conception was brought about."

"You're saying she has Darkseid magic in her," Whitney whispered.

"I'm _saying_, young man," Francis Balcoin raised an eyebrow, "that _magically_, this girl is the daughter of John Balcoin and Rao Darkseid; the Hibbins in her is so crippled and weak, it is, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent."

Chloe trembled, disgusted. "I am _nothing_ of his! He _killed_ the only man I ever accepted as my father!"

"If that is so, then it is _your_ fault he died," Francis declared.

Chloe flinched as if slapped.

"If it's as I think it is, you are the Balcoin heir Darkseid has been wanting for centuries." Francis came and knelt down to face her. "He would take your relationship with your adopted father as a threat. If he could not corrupt the man, possess him, he'd kill him. Because he was a threat to his position as your father." Francis's gaze went to Whitney and then returned to Chloe. "He will have been working on getting closer to you through those closest to you. Your family and Circle members especially. He will know they are your weakness."

_Has anyone close to you been acting odd lately?_ She could hear his voice in her mind. _Violent when they are usually peaceful? Angry when they are usually calm? Jealous or hurtful when they have never shown these traits before_? Francis' voice was urgent. _Have you seen anyone's pupils expand? Have unexplained strength? Have they been touched by any sort of darkness lately? Any sort of violence?_

Chloe's eyes widened as suddenly her mind flashed to various scenes. Qandisa. Jason's injury and Lex's comments on being concerned about Jason and Davis not being in control of themselves. Whitney's enchantment, his recollection of Darkseid's face, and his out of character behavior earlier on. Whitney was never a jealous person. How he'd acted previously was very much unlike him. He'd actually _been_ acting unlike him since the Qandisa episode but she'd felt clingy to him herself, still shocked at the thought of almost having lost him, so she'd shrugged it off. And then there was Byron with the black eyes and strength, just like Francis described.

"I see..." Francis stood before turning to Whitney. "Restrain him."

Immediately, hundreds of the spirits latched unto Whitney, pulling him into the air as the witch struggled.

"What – stop-!" Whitney struggled hard against the many hands that held him. "Chloe – what – _Chloe_-!"

"If you truly have his magic, no matter how dormant it is within you, you can command the sign to appear." Francis turned to Chloe. "Everyone touched by Darkseid bares the Omega Symbol on their forehead; it marks them as his servant and as you have not placed it on him, it should glow red." Francis turned to eye Whitney. "Hold your hand to him and say "_Aperio abscondita vinculum_."

She recognized vaguely what those words meant. It was a revealing spell, to reveal something that was hidden.

"This is stupid!" Whitney struggled. "Chloe, please! You know me!" he pleaded. "You _know_ me!"

Chloe didn't want it to be true, she prayed she was being paranoid, begged to _god_ that this would be wrong and Whitney would have good reason to be pissed at her for weeks and months to come. She stood, taking in a deep breath as she raised her left palm towards him. "_Aperio abscondita vinculum_."

"Chloe-" And then Whitney gasped, closing his eyes as his forehead erupted in a bright blue light which slowly tinted red to reveal the omega symbol on his forehead.

Chloe's eyes widened. "_No_..."

"It's – it's a _lie_..." Whitney hissed, eyes closed. "I-I-" And then his eyes flew open and they were pitch black, his lips curled in a smirk. "I was really enjoying this, you know, Francis; having an inside view of what went on in the Circle without even the boy knowing I was in here. You ruined this for me. You'll pay for that."

"I'm in _purgatory_ with most of my wretched family." Francis frowned at Whitney's body. "What more could you do to me now?"

Chloe moved towards the blonde. "Let him go."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but he's _mine_ now." Whitney sneered at her. "Do you know how _much_ I wanted him when I realized just _how_ important he is to you? But I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. The jock with the heart of gold." He sneered. "And yet it took you Enthralling a boy who owned the Qandisa Spoon to give me the opportunity I needed. Once Whitney had ingested the drink, the corruption entered him and I was able to take hold of him. I talked to him a bit during the party, while the drink was slowly taking control. He's got potential."

"You can't have him, he's _mine_." Chloe glared at him. "You took my father away from me, I won't let you take Whitney or anyone else."

"_I_ am your father!" Whitney's eyes flashed darker as he snarled. "ME! Not that power-hungry Balcoin brat! Not that puny, idiotic human! _Me_." He strained against the now thousands of hands restraining him back, leaning towards her as much as possible. "Together, we will bring back the Darkseid Clan and show the world _why_ they should have _never_ forgotten us."

"You've forgotten something." She sneered at him. "I don't _want_ to help you. I'm the _Balcoin_ Firstborn and I'm _happy-"_

"_You've_ forgotten something," he interrupted. "Pete and the others aren't doing very well."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What have you done to them?"

Whitney smiled. "Come to me and I will let you see them."

"I'm right here, aren't I?" she questioned.

"But _I'm_ not. I'm just speaking through your boy." Whitney's head tilted. "Come to me and I'll let you see your brother; your friends."

"Release Whitney and I'll do it." Chloe gulped.

"No." Whitney smiled at her. "But I'll do one better for you." His voice lowered. "I can tell you how to help Byron."

Chloe's eyes widened. She wasn't going to give up Whitney to this bastard, no way in hell, but she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to help Byron. Still, she was wary. "And why would you do something like that?"

"Consider it an act of good faith." Whitney shrugged. "Or if you do not care about him enough to take the risk then-"

"How do I know you won't hurt him more?" Chloe asked, hating the fact that she was playing into his hands and they both knew it.

Whitney's smile was hurtful, because it wasn't _him_ smiling at her, it was that man wearing his skin for his perverse pleasure_. _"I _want_ you to come to me knowing I only want the _best_ for you. That I am not your enemy."

"You should have thought of that before killing my father."

"_**I AM YOUR FATHER**_!" The whole cave shook.

Chloe's eyes widened.

Whitney's face twisted before he took in a deep breath and smiled. "Now listen closely because I'm only going to say this once."

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"I was shocked to see your number flashing on my screen," Jake Armstrong declared as he stood by his bedroom window, staring out at Cassie's vacant house. "I'm assuming everything is _not_ alright."

"I need a favor." Chloe Sullivan's voice reached him, she sounded like she was walking. "I need you to come to Smallville."

"Why me?" He frowned.

"Well, unlike Adam and Melissa, you've graduated from high school and I'm not going to be upsetting your school work." She took in a deep breath. "Also, you know Cassie and Diana, and it would be good for them to have a familiar face around."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like the next couple of words that come out of your mouth?" Jake could feel himself tensing.

"I can't say much on the phone, I'm trying to hitch a ride into town, but I _can_ tell you that Whitney's possessed at the moment so I'm having to keep him hostage in the caves until I can figure a way to free him from the hold over him." Chloe hissed when the sound of a car passing her proved that she hadn't gotten picked up. "There's big trouble on the rise and Cassie and Diana will need you soon." She took in a deep breath. "Whenever you can clear things up, let me know. I'll have a first class ticket waiting for you to pick up."

He frowned, looking around his empty house. "Arrange it. I'll pick it up first thing tomorrow."

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Her left palm was itching like crazy, her Balcoin symbol blotchy. It almost seemed infected. She didn't want to think about it right now though, the blonde continuing walking down the road towards town, planning her next moves carefully. She'd called Marx and he'd booked the first flight out tomorrow for Jake to Metropolis, and for a ride to be waiting to bring him to the house they were staying. So that was taken care of. She'd need him around, not so much because of his connection to Cassie and Diana as she'd told him, even though she really did want him there for the girls, but she also needed to talk to him. His time with the Witch-Hunters would prove invaluable for her with this situation.

She'd texted Greg, made him slip out somewhere by himself without drawing any attention to himself, and then had called him. She'd explained as much as she was willing to over the phone, which admittedly wasn't a whole lot, but enough to let him know that Whitney was compromised and Pete and the others in danger – not to mention themselves. The two of them had talked a little while longer before hanging up, Greg bringing the others back here from Edge City and Chloe readying things on her side.

Her fingers raced over the keyboard of her phone as she texted Adam.

Suddenly headlights hit her from behind and the blonde pressed 'send', turning to try and hitch a ride into town when she paused, recognizing the car.

It slowed to a stop next to her, the window rolling down to reveal Jason Teague. "What are you doing walking the road this time of night?"

Given everything she knew so far, Chloe felt true wariness with Jason Teague for the first time in her life, the blonde hugging herself as she smiled awkwardly at him. "Hey, Coach. How's it cracking?"

He flinched, looking away. "You don't have to call me that outside of school, you know."

"But it suits you, Coach." She shrugged, gaze going down the road, suddenly realizing just how isolated and far from help she was should she actually need it. "How's Davis?"

Jason gave a dark little chuckle. "He's _dandy_."

"Good." Chloe nodded, the awkwardness growing between them and it seriously stung that things had grown like this between them considering how things had once been.

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" Jason cleared his throat, eyeing her with a forced little smile. "It's not safe to be walking this time of night by yourself. I'm a little surprised Whitney and Greg are allowing this, Whitney especially."

"It might surprise you to find out they aren't the boss of me," she smart-mouthed before running fingers through her hair. "I could do with a ride into town, thanks."

"Get in." He reached across the seat and opened the passenger's door.

Walking around the front of the car, Chloe took in a deep breath before slipping into the car, hoping she wasn't making a big mistake as she closed the door and began belting herself in as Jason started driving.

The silence between them was painfully awkward.

"So, how have you been?" Jason cleared his throat once more, gaze straight ahead of him on the road.

"Things have been fine, thanks. How about you? How are you and Davis getting used to living in that big mansion all by yourselves now that everyone's up and left?" Chloe kept her gaze out the window. "The small town getting to you two yet? Ready to pack up and go? It must be killing you, having to be stuck here while everyone gets to move on."

"They _are_ moving on, aren't they?"

He said that oddly and she turned to look at him curiously but he was still merely eyeing the road ahead.

"How have things been with your brother Byron?" Jason turned his gaze towards her. "Morgan Edge told Lionel, who told Lex, who told us."

Chloe nodded. "He's a wonderful person."

"Both sides of him?" Jason asked curiously.

"He's my brother; I love every side of him." Chloe responded a bit too curtly, lowering her gaze with a sigh.

Anyway, if what the man who possessed Whitney had said was true, Byron wouldn't have to worry about his Dark personality rearing its head anymore. Not after tonight.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

"I know." She closed her eyes tightly. "It's been a rough night, so I'm sorry that I snapped at you."

He sent her a sideways glance. "You going to tell me why you were walking alone at the side of the road at this time of the night?"

She raised her greens to his hazels, shaking her head silently.

He gave a sad little smile. "Understandable, I guess." He cleared his throat and looked back at the road. "Are you okay? Will you tell me _that_ at least?"

"I'm better than you." Chloe gave a little smile. "Whitney says you get headaches sometimes still, on the field, but that you try to act as if you don't. That you're popping pills."

Jason's gaze slid away. "Yeah, my magic's slowed down its healing process for some reason. I get these migraines-" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'll heal in time."

Up ahead, they could see the lights of the town.

Chloe relaxed a little.

"Why are you so nervous?" Jason wasn't looking at her. "You've been on edge the moment you got into the car, almost as if you think I'm going to attack you."

"Why would I think that?" If she were a cat, her heckles would be rising.

"That's what _I_ want to know." Jason frowned, gulping. "Chloe, I know things between us haven't been that great lately, and we're basically strangers now, but I wouldn't hurt you."

She trusted Whitney above all else and he'd been unknowingly the pawn of the man who manipulated the events of her father's death.

There was no one she could trust anyone.

_No one_.

Her siblings were Balcoins, whose dark magic had been created by Darkseid, and that made them vulnerable to his control. She still wasn't sure what it meant that he _created_ the magic. She couldn't understand how that was _possible_. Wasn't magic natural? Something one was born with? How could a certain sort of magic, especially something that dark and powerful, be created? And how?

Until she found out what exactly Lionel Luthor had given Darkseid in _his_ pact, Lucas couldn't be trusted a hundred percent either. It could be in his veins as well.

And Greg – she needed to do the _Aperio abscondita vinculum_ on him the second she saw him, needed to make sure that the sign she saw on him was her own and not Darkseid's.

"I can walk from here, thanks." She reached for the door handle.

Jason frowned, slamming down on the breaks before gazing behind him and thrusting the gear, tires spinning on the highway before the car jerked and began reversing at an alarming speed away from the town.

Chloe's eyes widened in shock and fear. "What are you doing? Let me out!"

"You're _scared_ of me," he whispered oddly. "You're _terrified_."

"You're terrifying me!" she countered. "Stop the damn car and let me out, Jason! I'm not playing games with you!" She held on for dear life. "If you don't stop the damn car, so help me, I'll-!"

"You're a _dragon__,_ Chloe!" he snapped at her, furious. "Your inner reflection – your power – _why_ would someone like _me_ scare you?"

It wasn't Jason himself – it wasn't his own power – it was the thought of the power that might be _controlling_ him, working _through_ him.

"I'm not-!"

"Tell me what is going-!"

She turned her left palm towards him in an act of pure desperation. "_Aperio abscondita vinculum!"_

Magic flashed as the car came to an immediate standstill as Jason slammed on the brakes, bringing a hand to his forehead with a hiss. "What-?" He looked up at Chloe, removing his hand from his forehead. "What was that spell? What-?"

Her eyes were wide at the symbol there. Instead of the Omega sign, it was a circle with a dot in the middle of it; the ancient alchemical symbol for the sun. She'd thought Francis had said that if the allegiance wasn't to Darkseid or Balcoin blood, she wouldn't be able to force a reveal of a symbol, but that symbol (which was now gone) had clearly appeared, and hadn't belonged to either of the magics in her body. "Is the Luthor magic represented by the alchemical symbol for the sun?"

"_What_?" Jason snapped, looking up at the rearview mirror too late to see anything, confusion obvious on his expression. "What does that-? You know what? I don't care. _No_. It's not." He frowned, running his hand over his sandy blonde hair. "The Teague magic is."

Chloe stared at him, his words hitting her hard.

The Teague magic?

"It _is_ strong enough to have its own representation, you know." Jason sneered, shaking his head as he looked away. "As my mother likes to remind everyone, both sides of my bloodline are strong witches in their own right. They aren't _Originals_, yes, but they could take on _Thoreaux_ and any other clan and easily beat them. There was a _reason_ why they were chosen to be a part of an Original's Patriarch Circle."

That hadn't been what Chloe had been thinking, her gaze wide on Jason in shock. Lex had been wrong in his letter. He'd assumed that Jason wasn't in control of himself, that someone was controlling his actions, and yet for the first time, Chloe began to suspect that maybe Jason was actually _not_ being controlled... By Lex. Maybe what Lex had perceived as Jason being out of control was in fact Jason being in control of himself and his actions for the very first time.

She was so dizzy with the realization. She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, letting out a little breath.

The spell she'd cast on Jason shouldn't have worked, but for some reason it had, and for a split second, it'd revealed to her his hidden bonds, so to speak. And they were to his family, or to himself, either way.

"He didn't infect you," a little whisper escaped her as she brought her hand to her forehead, trying to understand this turn of events, "_w__hy not_?"

"What are you talking about?" Jason frowned. "Who didn't infect me? And what do you mean by _infect_?"

Chloe sent him a sideways look, contemplative, confused as her left palm itched, the Balcoin symbol more and more inflamed.

Just what the _hell_ was going _on_?

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**TBC**


	77. Bittersweet

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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She'd sent Diana, Faye and Cassie in Clark's truck (which Martha had lent the girls) to wait for Jake at the airport, telling them that as soon as they were back, things would start.

She'd sent Lucas and Mikhail back to Edge City to get some things from John's room that she'd said would be needed for the ritual.

She'd lied.

The blonde felt horrible about it, but she couldn't put them in danger, couldn't expose them the way she would be by performing this ritual. She'd seen the Balcoin symbol on Greg's forehead, knew that his allegiance was to her, and yet even he wasn't allowed inside of the caves. The boy was unhappy with the decision but once the caves felt her desire to keep them out, he really hadn't had a choice. Whitney was already compromised, was already a hostage to Darkseid, and she wasn't about to put anyone else at risk.

"I don't understand why we're not waiting on the others." Byron followed her nonetheless, gazing around the caves, never having felt at ease there for some reason. He'd spent the night there so that the ritual could be done today, and had spent the whole night uneasily.

"Do you trust me?" Chloe turned her head towards her brother.

His eyes widened and he nodded immediately. "Of course."

She smiled softly at the lack of thought, at the complete, utter sincerity. "Thank you."

Byron lowered his head, smiling too, clearing his throat. "So is Whitney going to be waiting for us in the cavern then? Since you said he's preparing things?"

Chloe hated lying to everyone, hated it with the passion of a thousand burning suns, but knew that if they knew the truth that they'd fight her on what she had to do, so she had to do this. So once she'd gotten back into contact with the others, she'd explained Whitney's absence with the fact that he was off running errands for her. "No, he's not going to help us in this part; this will be just you and me."

"You sure you won't weaken yourself too much doing it by yourself?" Byron worried once more as they finally made it to the room Darkseid had specified, one Chloe hadn't ventured into before, the room lighting up once they entered. "We can wait."

"You've waited long enough, Byron." Chloe gazed around at the symbols in the room, flinching at the pain that shot up her left palm, which she'd had to wrap up because the Balcoin symbol had become horribly infected. "I need you to walk to the center of the room."

Byron nodded, going to the center trustingly, giving a little grunt when energy shot up in magical chains and trapped him. "Chloe?!"

"It's fine. It's supposed to do that," Chloe assured him, looking around the walls, eyes scanning the symbols before noticing two bloodied handprints at the far end of the cavern. "There you are." Taking in a deep breath, Chloe walked towards the handprints, unwinding the bandage on her left hand as she did, hissing at the awful state of her left palm. What the hell was wrong with it? "I hope this doesn't affect things." Taking in a deep breath, Chloe turned back to look at Byron, who'd craned his neck back as hard as he could to look at her. "This is going to hurt, a lot, but I need you to stay conscious, okay? I need you to do your part. I need you to push it out of you."

"Push it out?" Byron's dark eyes were wide in confusion.

"That dark side of you; that part of you that isn't you," Chloe explained. "Without going into detail, it _isn't_ really you. It's the consequence of dealing with some _really_ dark magic. It's a bit someone else. And in some Balcoin children, there's a higher concentration of energy that manifests as the split personality. Think of it as a magical parasite that's latched onto you." It was like what had happened to Whitney and yet to a lesser, less direct extent. "I'm going to yank that out, but I need you to do your best and push it out. The process will be excruciating, but you'll be free. You can do this."

Byron's wide eyes widened further and he nodded. "Okay. I can."

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe licked her lips, cracked her neck, and turned to face the wall. "Here goes nothing." The blonde slammed her palms against the blooded palm prints and immediately the room and symbols lit up, the room sealed off, and the magical chains on Byron lit up as simultaneously a pair of shackles clamped around Chloe's wrists the second the siblings started screaming.

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"You can't be serious." Davis frowned, eyeing Jason in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Like a heart-attack," Jason declared, his bag's strap slung over his shoulder and suitcase in hand. "Lex is fucking playing us and I'm done just following orders and not knowing why. There's something going down and I'm going to figure out what the hell it is. I'm done just sitting on my ass waiting for His Highness to give me his next orders."

"But you can't _do_ that!" Davis announced, following his friend to the door. "Lex gave us strict orders not to leave Smallville!"

"Exactly!" Jason twirled around, barely able to keep his temper in check. "_Why_?" He turned to face his friend. "We're his right and left hands, Davey, so why all of a sudden is he leaving us behind and taking Ollie and Mercy? Huh? Does he question us? What's going on? Don't you wonder what's going on?"

Davis frowned. "What are you saying? You think Lex doubts us?"

"I say I doubt Lex," Jason declared pointblank. "And I'm not going to just sit here and go on blind faith anymore. I'm going to find out some answers on my own. I've put in my resignation at the high school. I have a lead and I'm going to take it."

"A lead." Davis raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, a _lead_." Jason nodded, voice and face defiant.

Davis eyed his friend before groaning, palming his forehead. "Wait up, I've got to pack."

Jason eyed him curiously. "What about Lex's orders?"

"Like you said," Davis let out a little aggravated sigh, "why leave your best operatives benched on the side lines and take your wounded soldiers into battle?" Davis shook his head. "Something's up." He turned, walking away. "This better be a good lead, because the moment Lex hears we've disobeyed his orders, he'll realize we're onto him."

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Chloe wanted to say that there was a goodness and strength in her that was strong enough that, despite the excruciating pain, she could have remained with her hands pressed the wall without the shackles but that would have been lying. Self preservation was in one's human nature, and without even wanting to, without meaning to, the girl tried to pull away, screaming at the top of her lungs as the pain overcame everything, her mind going blank as the magic molded her palms to the bloody prints on the cave walls, the skin of her palms seeming to _burn into the stone_. Byron's screams were tormented, the boy twisted on the ground, begging for it to stop. She forced herself to listen to his screams, to concentrate on his pain, and little by little Chloe regained enough control to realize that she could _feel_ him. She could _feel_ Byron through the magical binds holding him in place.

"Push, Byron!" she screamed through the pain as she concentrated on begging and on sucking the Darkseid energy accumulated inside of her brother. The energy was visibly black as it slowly began to travel through the energy chains, darkening them, the progress horribly slow. "I need your help!"

"Please!" he begged, twisting in horrible positions, his eyes going black.

"Byron!" Chloe's greens sought his out. "Help me! _Help me_!"

Those words must have struck a cord because Byron roared, tilting his head back. She could _feel_ him making an effort, fighting the presence that had tormented him for so long.

Chloe closed her eyes, concentrated on drawing what Byron was pushing out. What she hadn't told him, what she hadn't told Greg, was that the energy was going to have to go somewhere – _her_. That bit worried her herself, but she didn't want to think about it. The Firstborns in the past had done it, and had been able to deal. Plus, none of them had been the "magical daughter" of the originator of the magic that was causing the problem anyway. This very rare sickness was due to the fact that Darkseid magic had been used to create the Balcoin black magic. Ever since then, every couple of generations there'd be an unlucky sod in whom there'd be a bit of Darkseid magic. It wouldn't be a significant amount, but it would be enough for the Balcoin and other magic inside to recognize it as an intruder, as foreign, and to try and attack it, eliminate it. The magic, though, was strong, and to protect itself would create the Dark half of the personality, driving the person to violent insanity and death if it wasn't extracted by the Firstborn, whose connection with this Cave would be enough to kill the magic or at least 'neutralize' it. Or that was what Rao had told her while in Whitney's body. Why Chloe was trusting him, she wasn't sure.

The first bits of the darkness reached the shackles and began to bleed into Chloe, a cold chill filling her as her breath escaped her in a visible puff. It was almost as if the second the first drop entered her, it began a vacuum, the girl feeling the suction of power, drawing from Byron to her, both of them screaming louder than they had. And as Chloe's knees buckled under her (the only thing keeping her from falling to her knees were her shackles), Chloe realized that neither of them were even trying anymore. The Darkseid magic that'd been tormenting Byron and driving him to insanity was making its way on its own towards her, all of the symbols, the chains and the shackles black, all light gone as the brother and sister screamed and cried.

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He could feel her pain and it was killing him to have to stay here and not be by her as he paced the room he was trapped within. He wanted to go to her, wanted to be there, _should_ be there! And yet he couldn't. Shouldn't. Not the way he was. How could he not have known? _How_ could he not have known that he'd had a hitchhiker ever since the Qandisa episode?

'_Don't feel too bad__,__ boy_,' the voice announced in his head. '_You were chosen because of your relationship with her. You should feel honored._'

"Fuck you!" Whitney snapped, looking around at the symbols as they went wild, proving that this wasn't just his mind playing tricks with him. The room they were holding him in… These symbols lit up every time _he_ appeared in any way. "You had me spying on her! She needs me right now and I can't be there because of you! She'll never fully trust me again _because of you_!" He ran a shaky hand through his blonde locks. "I'm gonna lose everything… BECAUSE OF _YOU_!"

The cave shook, his eyes flashing with fury.

'_My minions are usually not this ungrateful_.'

"I'm not your minion!" Whitney snapped, his blues darkening, his fists clenched tightly, his arms shaking in his fury. "I'm not _your_ anything!"

'_Once touched and claimed by the house of Darkseid, you always belong to Darkseid_,' the voice told him snidely. '_You, boy, now belong to me. That Omega sign on your forehead shows it.'_

Whitney's gaze lowered, the blonde tightening his fists, before his blues fell on something and he laughed softly.

_'I fail to see what's so funny__,__' _the voice in his head declared.

"You say I belong to you." The Quarterback licked his lips, raised his palm, showing the design on his palm of the Hamsa with the winged serpent. "This says otherwise."

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Chloe fainted. The pain was overwhelming and, in the end, it wasn't necessary for her to try anymore, the magic seeking her out, so she'd allowed herself to give into the darkness creeping around the edges of her consciousness. Once she awoke, she was unshackled and lying on the ground, the darkness gone from the cave, presumably all inside of her, and she wondered what it meant that, other than feeling completely shattered, she didn't feel any eviler than usual. She didn't take time to think about herself, crawling towards Byron where he laid unbound on the floor, the girl moving to sit by him, rolling her brother onto his back, checking for a pulse and breathing a breath of relief when she felt a very strong one.

"Byron?" she whispered, shaking his shoulder.

Byron whimpered before looking up at her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't shed them. "Are _you_?"

His eyes were filling with tears as well as he shook his head, reaching up rapidly and engulfing her in a tight hug. "I thought we were going to die."

Chloe hugged Byron as tightly as she could through the pain. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you, Byron, I promised to protect you, remember? I'll always protect you guys, _always_. No matter _what_ it takes."

He nodded wordlessly.

Blinking away her tears, Chloe forced a smile on her face as she pulled away, being brave for him, refusing to let him suspect anything. "Now, to see if it actually worked."

True fear appeared on Byron's face. "What if it didn't?"

Chloe stared down into his young face before holding out her hand towards him. "Trust me."

Byron stared down at her hand before smiling softly, placing his hand in hers.

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Greg paced back and forth outside the mouth of the Bleeding Caves, not used to not being granted access and hating it. He'd had to listen to the screaming for what'd seemed like hours, and after that there'd been silence for so long… Too long. And the silence, that'd been terrifying because it'd left him so long without knowing what was going on. Had something gone wrong? Were they hurt? Dead? No. They couldn't be dead. If Chloe was dead, he'd be allowed into the caves. And that wasn't a comfort. She could still be very hurt and he couldn't get in. Maybe… Maybe…

Movement in the darkness caught his attention and Greg twirled around, eyes widening to see brother and sister wobbling out, helping support each other as they neared the exit.

They looked like they'd been through hell.

They had cuts and bruises all over their skin, they were horribly pale and both looked as if they'd bled from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

The brother and sister hesitated at the mouth of the cave, in the shadow, taking in a deep breath as they shared a look, before stepping out into the light.

Greg stepped towards them, ready to push Byron back into the darkness of the caves if needed, but as Byron lifted his hand up to shield his gaze from the sunlight, nothing happened.

Byron's eyes widened as he felt the sunlight on his pale skin for the first time since he hit puberty, the boy turning to look at his sister before collapsing to his knees and engulfing her in a tight hug, burying his face in her abdomen as he cried.

Chloe half laughed, half cried, hands caressing Byron's hair as her gaze rose to Greg, giving him a shaky smile.

Greg couldn't believe it, eyes wide, a half smile on his face.

Chloe's laughter melted into sobs as she too fell to her knees, pressing kisses to her youngest sibling's forehead. "You're going to be fine now, Byron. You're going to be fine."

Byron gave a half-choked laugh. "I'm in the _sun_."

She smiled through her tears. "You'll have to get a tan."

"_Thank you_," Byron whispered. "_I don't know how you did it, but thank you._"

Chloe's face looked like she was going to break for a second but then she smiled at him, eyes filling with tears again. "It was worth it."

Greg stepped forwards.

Chloe shook her head at him, returning a smile to Byron, pressing a kiss to his forehead and hugging him. "I love you _so much__,_ Byron. I know we've only known each other for a little while, but you know that, right? I love you all."

"Yeah." Byron smiled, happy. "And I love you. I'm happy. We all are."

Chloe closed her eyes tightly, her face breaking in misery as she hugged him tighter. "Me too." Training her expression to happiness, Chloe pulled away and wiped at her eyes. "Why don't you go and wait in the car? Greg's gonna take you back home so you can rest."

Byron frowned. "You're not coming?"

Chloe shook her head. "I have to do something first and then he'll come back for me."

"We can wait," Byron announced.

"No, I'll be fine," Chloe assured, helping him up and giving him a little playful shove towards the car. "Go on now, I'll see you at home."

Byron gave her a little look, but then nodded, going towards the car.

Greg watched Byron until he got into the passenger's side, before turning to Chloe. "Don't do this."

Chloe wiped at her wet face. "He kept his part of the bargain."

"So what?" Greg frowned.

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "He still has Whitney under his control. _And_ he has Pete, Lana and Clark. I _have_ to go."

"At least let me go with you then." Greg stepped forwards.

"No." Chloe shook her head. "Greg, you're the only one I trust to take care of them, to protect them, while I'm gone." She stepped forwards and reached for his hand, squeezing it. "Work together with Jake. He'll be useful. But while I'm not here, you're in charge."

"Like that's going to mean a lot." Greg rolled his eyes. "I'm not a Balcoin and I'm not Whitney. They're not going to listen to me, Chloe. Let me come with you."

"Do _not_ sell yourself short, Greg." Chloe narrowed her eyes. "My family means the _world_ to me and I'm leaving their lives in your hands. I wouldn't trust _anyone_ with that. Stop shortchanging yourself. You're so much more than you give yourself credit for."

Greg looked down at her and gulped before clearing his throat and sighing, looking away as he ran his hand over his hair. "I have this horrible feeling that if I let you go, I'm never going to see you again."

Chloe stared at him silently before reaching out and grabbing his hands, threading their fingers through each other's, palms touching. "Close your eyes."

Greg frowned as he stared at her. "What?"

"Close your eyes," Chloe repeated patiently.

Greg raised an eyebrow before obeying. "Now what?" He suddenly gasped, his breath leaving him audibly, the brunet straightening visibly on his feet as he tightened his grip on the girl before it was over and he could breathe again, his grip loosening, his eyes flying open as he stared down at her. "What _was_ that?"

Chloe merely smiled at him, letting her hands fall to her sides. "Go."

Hand going to his head, Greg frowned, sending her a couple of backwards glances as he slowly made his way towards the car...

…

"DIANA!"

Diana clawed at the air as she came to, gasping for breath, looking around her in disorientation, confused. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that she was lying down on a bench in the waiting area of the airport.

"What did you see?" Cassie leaned over her, eyes wide in fear. "Is it Chloe? You spazzed out just like the night of the ball. Did you See something?"

"So you're saying she Sees things that Greg sees?" Jake was asking Faye, who was apparently on the phone.

"Yeah." Faye nodded, before frowning and speaking into the phone. "Calm the fuck down, Mik. I'll tell you when I find out. She's only just woken up for Christ's sake!"

Diana's eyes were wide as she relived what she'd Seen, before she turned to Cassie, a horrible feeling sinking in her gut. "I think Chloe's leaving us."

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"Marx has prepared everything as requested. It is all untraceable," the man declared, passing her what she'd asked for, Chloe standing in front of the private jet at the private air strip feeling alone and vulnerable, just as she knew Rao Darkseid wanted it.

"Thank you." Chloe smiled down at the man. "You've been very kind and helpful, I'm very grateful."

Marx eyed her before nodding. "Marx would be careful, going to the parts of the world you are. They are not, how should I say it, the nicest of places to be right now."

"I know," she agreed. "But thank you."

Warning given, Marx stepped away. "Good luck on your business then, young lady."

Chloe watched him walk away before grabbing her luggage and documentation, walking to the private jet awaiting her. She boarded, sitting down and staring out of the window.

She didn't know what was awaiting her once she reached her destination, but she knew she wasn't ready.

Her phone had been ringing like crazy, the girl having to turn it on silent, but she'd noticed that the calls stopped and instead the text messages started rolling in as her family and friends realized the deception. There were all types of reactions, of responses.

**Come back!**

** Don't you dare do this!**

** We're a family, you don't get to do something like this on your own!**

** Where are you going? What's happened?**

** Why did you go?**

** Please come back!**

But it was Byron's that broke her heart.

** I'll take it back! I'll go back to staying in the dark! I don't need the sunlight! Just **_**please**_** come back!**

Chloe turned off her phone, wiping at the tears in her eyes as the plane took off, taking her away from her family.

_Stay strong. You can do this. Don't wimp out now._

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe wiped her hands against her pants and realized that her left palm didn't hurt her anymore, the blonde lifting it to face her. Green eyes widened in shock, her breath stuttering out, her hands trembling.

The Balcoin symbol on her left palm had completely vanished, and in its place were the beginnings of an Omega symbol.

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**TBC**


	78. Meeting Rao Darkseid

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Stepping off of the private jet had set Chloe off on a whirlwind of motion. There'd been a car waiting on her the moment her feet had touched the ground, the driver standing with a smile and a bow. She'd felt uneasy, yet had given him her luggage and gotten into the back seat, letting him close the door and drive her for a couple of hours in complete silence to only god knew where. He'd then let her off onto a ferry, which had taken her across a large body of water where another driver had been waiting for her, and he'd driven her to _another_ private airstrip where a tiny plane had awaited her and she'd spent three hours in the air until landing somewhere in the mountains after nightfall. Once again, there'd been a car and driver waiting for her as soon as she stepped off of the plane and she was chauffeured to some unknown destination.

She'd checked her phone despite knowing that she didn't have roaming and wouldn't have a signal to call. The girl merely looked at the pictures on the cellular, a small smile on her face as she flipped through pictures of Lucas giving Mikhail a noogie, Diana and Faye arguing over whose turn it was to wash the dishes, and Byron trying his best to make peace while Cassie (whose time it actually was to do the dishes) merely sniggered in the background. There were pictures of Whitney and Greg playing against the other boys. She wasn't sure which video game exactly they were playing but the boys all had extremely intense expressions on their faces and didn't notice the girls making ridiculous expressions behind them.

Chloe brought her hands to her lips to stifle her laugh.

Oh god, she missed her family.

But the next pictures were of Whitney, Lana, Clark, Greg and Pete, reminding Chloe that Whitney was still in trouble and that not all her family had been left safely behind.

She _had_ to do this.

She _had_ to.

Plus, Byron could walk in the sunlight now.

It'd been worth it.

The car stopped, jerking her out of her thoughts. Chloe's eyes widened as she turned off her phone and slipped it into her pocket, grabbing her things as she turned and looked out of the window. What she saw was not what she had expected. Then again, she'd come into this expecting Dracula's castle, so maybe she'd set herself up for disappointment, but the quaint two story house with the white picket fence in the middle of the mountainside was _definitely_ not a place she would have expected to be taken to. It didn't say "Evil Lord of Darkness". Then again, maybe that was the idea.

The driver opened the door, helping her out and took her things, moving towards the house, another man emerging from within. "My Lady! Allow me to be the first to welcome you home!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow, completely baffled.

"My name is Desaad," he announced, taking her left hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing it reverently. "I am your father's most faithful servant."

"He's not my father." Chloe yanked her hand free, holding it to her chest. "My father's name was Gabriel Sullivan and Rao Darksied had him _murdered _by the woman who gave birth to me. Get your facts straight."

Desaad eyed her before clearing his throat, motioning for her to follow him in the direction of the house, in which the driver had taken her things. "I am sure you will find the house to your liking. It has been fitted with every luxury and comfort one could ask for." He led her through the gate and front garden into the front door, revealing the beautiful interior of the house. "My master wants you to rest before your meeting. You are to pick any room in the house which pleases you the most and claim it as your own."

"I didn't come for a holiday, Mr Desaad." Chloe folded her arms over her chest. "The only reason I'm here is because I was coerced, so if it's the same to you, I'd prefer to see your master right now and skip the whole other part."

Desaad raised an eyebrow before nodding. "As you wish, My Lady." He moved through the house towards what appeared to be a library filled with books on the occult, which would have fascinated Chloe to no end if it wasn't for the fact that she was annoyed, resentful and terrified. The handsome man moved towards a large painting of a tall, imposing, regal looking man with blue-gray eyes. The man was mostly bald except for the sides of his head, which held a mix of light and dark gray hair. He wore a dark colored business suit with a tie, a family emblem behind him. She wondered who this was because it wasn't the man she'd seen at the after party, and yet...

Reaching out his hand, Desaad placed it on the Omega symbol on the wall beside the portrait, the floor beneath them trembling before they began their descent into the darkness below.

Chloe looked around her, eyes wide as she realized they were descending into some sort of underground lair. It wasn't a cave as she'd first expected, instead it seemed like an underground _city_ of some sort, with guards and other workers mulling around, all wearing the Omega insignia on their clothes, denoting them as servants of Darkseid. She descended level upon level as if she were on an elevator. Realizing that they were going deep within the earth, the girl was horribly intimidated. She'd known that Darkseid was powerful and yet never in her wildest nightmares had this sort of power and magnitude of establishment passed through her mind as being _possible_. Just how deep and wide did this establishment go? How many people worked for him? Exactly where was she? There was no way that she could run; she'd get so lost, it was _ridiculous_.

"You have a curious expression on your face," Desaad announced, eyeing her.

Chloe took in a deep breath, sending him a sideways look. "I feel like I'm a character in a modern version of Jules Vernes' _Journey to the Center of the Earth_."

"Ah, and this is but the tip of the iceberg," Desaad replied with a nod, his hands clasped in front of him. "There is so much that the master has to show you, to teach you. His is a fountain of such knowledge."

Chloe wondered if all the other servants were all expert ass kissers or if Desaad was just extra talented.

Finally they made their way to the ground floor, Desaad stepping off first, helping Chloe, before leading her towards the door in the small room the lift had brought them to. "Only a privileged few have access beyond these doors." There was obvious pride in his handsome face as he raised his gaze towards the scan, which read his forehead, his omega symbol becoming momentarily visible before disappearing, the doors opening. "After you."

Chloe eyed him before nodding, following through into the thick darkness, not knowing whether it was a trap or not, but once she stepped through the horrible darkness to the other side, she found it not dark at all, the blonde able to see quite clearly. The room was glorious. The high vaulted ceilings were mosaics depicting wars and rituals, statues and flowering plants decorated the inner sanctum, flowers she'd never seen before blossoming without the presence of sunlight.

There was a library of books in the corner that drew her attention for a moment, and opposite of it, a section for rituals, and while the inquisitive side within Chloe cried for her to look, what truly held her gaze was the large portrait at the far end of the room. The girl found herself blind towards all else as she moved towards it. She didn't even know why she was so fascinated by the portrait of the woman. It wasn't as if the regal, beautiful and kind woman with the happy smile reminded her of anyone, but there was just something about this woman that made Chloe draw closer. Maybe it was the fact that this woman with raven black hair, brown eyes and palest of skin had an obvious place of honor in the room. Her portrait was large, was framed with expensive wood and hung where it would be the first thing whoever walked in the room would see. The portrait itself showed not only the physical beauty of the woman, but the twinkling of her eyes and the ever ready tilt of her lips. It showed the kindness in her face. This was a sweet, wonderful woman.

Some sort of exotic vines and flowers grew along the wall and portrait, a spring of water bubbling beneath, fish of some sort swimming serenely.

Chloe drew as close as she could, hand going to the necklace around her neck, seeing the same very necklace adorning the neck of the woman in the portrait.

Even without that she'd known who this was though.

This was Vika Balcoin, Rao Darkseid's wife; the woman who'd ultimately betrayed and imprisoned him.

"You don't look like her."

Chloe swung around, the man from the portrait in the house standing behind her, wearing another expensive designer suit. "I shouldn't think so."

He eyed her before shaking his head. "I shouldn't either. There's too many generations between you two, still, I don't know whether I'm happy or not you have my family's genes." He tilted his head as he continued his examination of her. "On one hand, I have always loved Vika's dark coloring; the Balcoin contrast of dark hair and eyes on light skin has always been a fascination of mine… And yet, while I will forever love her, I will also forever hate her as well, so if you were to look _too much _like her…" He let that sentence die as he came to stand before her. "You are finally home, my child."

Chloe fought the urge to tell him what she thought about that, knowing she couldn't really do anything, not when he held so many cards. "So, you have me here. You want to explain to me what's going on with my hand?" She lifted her left palm and showed him the Omega symbol slowly forming there.

Rao's eyes widened and he grinned, reaching out for her hand and turning it palm-up. "I hadn't expected it to be so developed so quickly without any intervention on my part." His blue-grays rose to her before lowering to her palm once more. "The darkness in you must be _great_."

Chloe yanked her hand back. "Come again?"

"You must know by now that these marks appeared into your hand when your Balcoin magic awoke and you took on the role as Firstborn." Rao eyed her calculatingly. "Taking that into consideration, I believe you can figure out the rest for yourself."

Chloe felt her blood go cold. "You're saying that my Darkseid magic's starting to awaken."

"Why do you think your Hibbins magic is so _spectacularly_ weak it's practically _deformed_ inside you?" Rao wanted to know, stepping forwards. "The reason why you were unable to complete the transformation when you freed the Tentagel boy from the Desolate Existence spell was because the Hibbins magic in you is so _diluted_, so _sparse_, it is almost as if it is the magic of some great grandparent and not from your own mother. Magically, for all intents and purposes, Moira Sullivan was John's and my _surrogate_."

"This takes gay parenting to a _whole_ new level."

He snorted. "You get the mouth from _Vika's_ side of the family, I assure you."

Chloe brought her hand to her head, trying to clear her jumbled thoughts. "Were you the man I met at the after-party in Smallville?"

"I was in a host, a vessel, similar to when we conversed through Whitney," Rao replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "I am not able to travel corporeally as I used to, so until I can regain my full strength, I make do transferring part of my conscious into hosts." His lips twitched. "I hear you have inherited this gift."

"I don't know what you're-" And then Chloe's eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about, the Freaky Friday situation coming back to her like a slap in the face. She'd always wondered how she'd been able to just jump into Faye's body like that, had thought it was a Balcoin Firstborn thing, but it hadn't been a Balcoin thing. It'd been a _Darkseid_ thing! "_Oh my god_."

"I can teach you to transplant only part of your subconscious into another person without them even realizing," he promised her. "I can teach you to be great. I can show you how to forever keep someone enslaved to you."

Chloe took a step back. "Like Whitney?"

Rao's smile fell. "He's unimportant."

"He's important to _me_. Very important," Chloe pressed. "Whitney, Pete, Clark and Lana – my family and friends – they're _all_ important to me."

"They're _insignificant_ insects!" Rao snapped, storming towards her.

"No they are not!" she snapped right back, stomping her foot and holding her ground. "They are the _only reason_ I am here right now! They are the only reason I might stay with you! _They_ are the only reason I might _willingly_ stay by your side! That I'd learn whatever you want to tell me. That I'd plaster a smile and try to mean it. That I wouldn't try to escape every day of my life!" She took a step towards him, eyes narrowed. "Do you understand what I'm telling you or do I have to spell it out for you?"

Rao eyed her. "This part of you, the negotiator, you took after my side of the family." He motioned for her to follow him. "It displeases me to admit that your Hand has been fighting me most deplorably since he's discovered my presence in his mind. He rejects my claim on him, and normally this wouldn't be an issue, once I lay claim on someone, my claim is permanent."

"I'm sensing a 'but'." Chloe followed after him, hope filling him.

"There's another's claim that's _very_ strong on him, and he's holding on very strong to that claim in return." Rao sent her a look over his shoulder. "_Your_ claim, a claim which is _technically_ from the House of Darkseid and yet not _my_ claim."

"I'm not following."

Rao sighed, seeming quite displeased. "I can sense my minions, my servants, all the faithful and true. I have a link to each and every one of them. Anyone who has ever been used as a host, I can always find and possess once more should I need to." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "The fixed position that he should be in the map in my mind wavers, falters, even momentarily."

Chloe stared at him in silence, waiting for him to continue, knowing there was more.

"He is marked; he _belongs_ to this House and he _will_ join." Rao eyed her. "I am giving you the choice as to whether he does so under your claim or under mine. Or you can choose to do nothing. The fight of the claims will drain him eventually, it will probably kill him."

Chloe's eyes widened.

"I will take you to where your friends and your half brother are being kept. They are alive, but I will not lie, they have not been treated as treasured guests," Rao told her in total honesty. "I came upon them in France as your brother and the Thoreaux girl were digging into things that they had no business digging into. Though I must admit, I am glad that they did as it brought them to my attention and through them, I found out about you." He drew closer. "This is our deal, Chloe. You will go to your brother, Pete Ross, and you will formally renounce your position as Balcoin Firstborn, naming him as your successor, as he is the Secondborn. You must get him to accept his duty and new position or it will not be valid. You will then accept your position as heiress of the Darkseid clan. Once this is done, your brother and your friends will be taken to the airport and once they have reached Smallville, you will be allowed to speak to them on Skype _once_ while they are with your other friends and family so that you may not only see that I have kept my side of the bargain, but so that you may properly say your goodbyes to the others and explain to them what will happen from now on. You will then stay here with me and train under me, learn all I have to teach you to truly awaken your Darkseid magic."

"And if I don't?" Chloe asked softly.

"Then Whitney will either die or come here and be my slave and I will treat him _horribly_," Rao promised her. "And I will make the deaths of Pete, Lana and Clark very painful." He gave a little smile. "But you would be allowed to leave here with your life."

"You're too kind," Chloe said monotonously, looking away, taking in a deep breath as she tried not to hyperventilate. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you even need me?" She turned back to face him. "You're obviously some sort of immortal to have lasted this long, so why do you even need a kid around? Voldemort didn't need one. And anyway, you're doing just fine on your own. Plus, you saw what having a Balcoin woman around was like the first time around. No offense or anything, but I heard the abridged version of the story and it didn't really end well for anyone involved. Shouldn't you just, you know, learn from past mistakes and just opt out of a life without Balcoin women altogether? I say, let me take my friends and brother out of here, we all forget the other exists, we say we did and don't, and we all go about our lives. You continue running your evil lair under the ground from Somewhere, Europe, and I try to survive till graduation-and maybe even get a date to prom. How does that sound to you?"

He eyed her as if she were a curious sort of creature he would like to dissect to better understand. "Maybe you _did_ get something from Moira after all because you did not get that propensity to babble from Vika's side of the family _or_ mine." Rao stepped closer, shadows seeming to gather around him. "You will do what I told you to do or I will do what I said I would do. Have I made myself clear or do you want me to emphasize more?"

Chloe gulped, shaking her head. "You were perfectly clear. Any clearer and there'd be _pictures_."

"Good." He turned. "Come with me."

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Faye sat on the roof of the house, trying to drown out the sound of World War III going on down below. The whole house had been in chaos since Chloe's departure; everyone was in an uproar and people were turning on Greg since he was the only one who'd had a clue what Chloe had been thinking. Greg stood firm on the fact that he was following orders and that they should back down. Whitney was in trouble, locked up in the Bleeding Caves with Rao Darkseid of all people hitchhiked onto his soul, and Pete, Lana and Clark (whom no one in the house really gave a crap about) were in danger… Also, Chloe had agreed to meet with this Rao Darkseid guy, who seemed to make John Balcoin look like Dumbledore, in exchange for the information of how to cure Byron, so she really hadn't had a choice in the matter. Also? She couldn't have brought the others along because Balcoins and Luthors were vulnerable to Darkseid's magic.

The witch on the roof had wanted to point out that she was neither a Balcoin nor a Luthor but then she'd realized that she'd been left behind for the very same reason that Greg had been, and why Jake had been called in. Chloe had known that there'd be turmoil following her departure and that they'd need neutral blood around – outside parties to act as referees. Also, Greg and Jake were bosom buddies all of a sudden, seeming to be consorting about things, and that had the others suspicious. Hell, it had Faye suspicious! All she knew was that they were rallying up an army (the Lost Boys on standby for a game plan) and if the would-be generals below would stop pointing fingers at each other, maybe they could get somewhere.

Hearing something, Faye turned her head to see Byron climbing up next to her on the roof, a pale, tormented expression on his face as he slumped down next to her.

"It's my fault," Byron whispered, licking his lips as he stared unseeingly ahead of him. "If it wasn't for _me_ she'd be here."

"Not true." Faye shook her head. "Daddy Darko still has Pete, Clark and Lana. Even if you were the healthiest guy on the block, Chloe wouldn't be here right now." She shrugged. "No use throwing a pity party for yourself. Make better use of your time and get pissed."

Byron sent her a sideways glance before returning his gaze ahead of him. "I _am_ pissed."

"Good. Because I am too." Faye licked her lips. "I haven't even gotten to become an official part of her Circle yet. This dude is going _down_."

Byron shook his head, chuckling.

Faye grinned, nudging him with her shoulder. "That's the spirit. We're going to find her, and she's going to be okay. You know how I know that?"

"How?" he asked, finally turning his full attention on her with a sigh.

"Simple." Faye turned her gaze on him, completely serious. "She's Voldemort Barbie. There's no other outcome that's even remotely acceptable."

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"_Chloe_?"

"Oh my god." Chloe rushed towards her friends, horrified to find them chained in a dungeon, dirty and having lost weight from obvious lack of food. The blonde threw her arms around Pete, hugging him tightly, before hugging Clark and then Lana, pulling away when she heard Rao clearing his throat, the girl taking in a deep breath as she took a step back. "How long have you three been in here in these conditions?"

"I don't know," Lana whispered. "What month is it?"

"What are you doing here?" Pete's eyes were wide in horror. "You aren't supposed to be here! Clark said that before he was caught he'd sent you a coded message that told you that you were in danger! That you were to be alert!"

"Coded-?" Chloe frowned.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe." Clark glared past her at Rao. "Don't you touch her! Let her go!"

"We tried, Chloe, we didn't speak for _so long_," Lana whispered, so pale, so bruised. "But in the end, it hurt _so much_."

"When he found out I was a Balcoin, but realized I wasn't the Firstborn…" Pete tugged on his magically enhanced chains. "I didn't want you involved. I brought Clark in when Lana was taken. I – I'm so sorry, Chloe. I should have warned you but I thought – I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"It's okay. Don't worry." Chloe gave them a small smile. "I'm fine. I promise." Her greens went to Lana and Clark before going to Pete as she drew nearer, kneeling before her brother. "I can get you out of here."

Pete's eyes widened, his dark skin paling. "What have you done?"

Chloe reached out, clasping his freezing hand in hers, rubbing her hand over his, trying to warm it. "I can get the three of you back home. You'll be safe and with family. He swears it."

"It's a lie," Lana assured her. "He'll kill us the minute we're out of these walls."

"No, he won't." Chloe shook his head. "He needs you alive."

"Why would he need us alive?" Clark frowned, drawing closer, so much skinnier since the last she'd seen of him. "What aren't you telling us, Chlo?"

"_What have you done_?" Pete echoed his previous question, tightening his grip on her hands.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe stared into her brother's eyes. "I'm trading myself for you."

"_Chloe__,__ no_!" Lana gasped in horror.

"Don't do this!" Clark shook his head.

Pete shook his head silently, tightening his grip on her hands painfully.

"Listen to me, it's not just to help you," Chloe stared deep into Pete's eyes. "It's to help Whitney and our youngest brother, Byron, too. Byron was really sick and Rao told me how to cure him. And Whitney – he's in trouble and I'll be able to help him as well. But only if I do this."

"No." Pete continued shaking his head. "I'm not leaving you here."

"You _have_ to," she pressed. "I _need_ you to. You're the Secondborn. I need you to be my successor."

"_What_?" Pete hissed, pulling away in horror. "_NO_!" His gaze went to the man in fury. "You sick bastard! What are you going to do to her? I won't let you hurt her! You won't kill her! I-!"

"Pete!" Chloe cupped his face, bringing his gaze to her. "I can't really explain it right now, but while you would usually only inherit the rulership of the clan at the death of the Firstborn, I'm not going to die. He's not going to kill me. I'm going to _will_ it to you. I'm going to live. I just won't be the Balcoin Firstborn anymore."

"How is this possible? It shouldn't be possible." Pete frowned.

"It usually isn't." Rao finally spoke from behind her. "The only reason why it _is_ is because she is the _only_ heiress to _another_ Original Clan, whereas the Balcoin Clan has _many_ potential successors."

Lana frowned, confused. "What's he talking about?"

"I can't – it's complicated." Chloe licked her lips. "Pete, I need you to become my successor. I need you to become the head of the Balcoin Clan."

"No." He shook his head.

"You _have_ to do this," Chloe pressed.

"I _can't_," Pete refused, desperation coloring his voice, his gaze turning towards Lana before returning to Chloe. "I want-"

Chloe hadn't realized what she was doing until the sound of the slap echoed through the cell and her hand stung, Pete's face tilted away from the blow. "I'm sorry, Pete, I shouldn't have hit you, but "I can't" and "I want"… We don't have the luxury of those things anymore. What I want most in this world is to be home with our family, our brothers and sisters, and my Circle." She gulped, licking her lips, fighting the tears. "My father's dead, Pete. Darkseid had my mother murder him in front of me." She ignored Rao's growl, could see the shocked horror on their faces at the news. "They're my family, you're my family, and we were born for this. We were _all_ born for roles we're going to have to fill whether we want to or not. So, Pete, I'm sorry, but you're going to take the Balcoin Clan from me, you're going to lead them, and you're going to protect them, father them, and you're going to put your damnedest into it because at the end of the day, those kids are your family and your responsibility." She cupped his face once more, tears gathering in her eyes as she rested her forehead against his, body trembling as his hands cupped her face. "I need you to protect them for me, Pete. I can't be there for them anymore. I need you to help them. They're so hurt and scared but they pretend they're tough. They cover their terror with anger and they fight a lot but they're just kids that need a home, Pete, they need a family. You need to give it to them. Please, Pete. _Please_." She broke down. "_Please!"_

Pete's hands slipped from her face to hold her tight. "I'll do it… For you."

Chloe held on tighter, crying. "_Thank you_."

Lana and Clark came closer, hugging the girl as well.

Rao watched silently from the doors of the dungeon, everything going according to plan.

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Whitney looked up, the symbols on the cave going black.

_What the...?_

'_The choice is yours.'_ The voice had returned. '_Use the time that the Caves have taken to readjust now that a new successor has been named, to escape and meet my man outside, or stay within and be trapped once more when it reawakens.'_

Whitney sneered. "I'm not going anywhere."

'_Fine.'_ The voice was uninterested before an image flashed before Whitney of Chloe crying in a dungeon, hugging Pete, Lana and Clark, who were chained. '_Stay there then_.'

Whitney's eyes widened in horror. "What was that?"

Nothing.

No answer.

"What the hell did you just show me?"

Nothing.

"Answer me, damn it!"

Another flash, this one of Chloe standing as guards with Omega signs on their uniforms administered some sort of sleeping spell to the three chained and then escorted them out of the dungeon, Chloe turning to look at Whitney before taking in a deep breath. **'**_**Could I please be escorted to wherever I'll be kept from now on? I want to cry in peace.'**_

"The hell?" Whitney slammed his fist against the wall in utter confusion. "Is that real or are you just messing with my head, trying to get me to leave the safety of this room?" He grabbed fistfuls of his hair, a headache throbbing. "Why would Chloe be with you? She wouldn't. She has no reason to go to you. It's a trap. It has to be some sort of illusion, some sort of mind game of yours. But if it isn't and I don't leave now…"

'_Time in ticking… The reawakening of the caves will commence soon…'_

Licking his lips, Whitney held his head, before slamming his hand once more into the wall and beginning a mad dash out of the chamber and towards the mouth of the Bleeding Caves.

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**TBC**


	79. The Claiming

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Diana sat by the window, staring out, chewing on her nail, staring at her Eye of Ra design on her palm nervously. She didn't know if it was her being paranoid or not, but she felt that the design looked as if it was fading. The dark haired Balcoin girl felt like a nervous wreck, hating that she had to stay home but knowing that the plan was sound. _Some__one_ had to stay home just in case someone showed up, but she hated having been voted the one to do so. Then again, it made sense considering that Lucas and Mikhail were working with the Lost Boys in Edge City, trying to work the angle of the guy Chloe had sketched out for them the other night, Faye had driven Byron out to meet with his crime lord uncle to call in a favor, and Greg and Jake were only gods knew where. That left her and Cassie stuck with the damned house sitting. None of them were happy but it was what they were stuck with. Cassie was upstairs going through Chloe's room, trying to figure out some sort of clue of what Chloe had been planning, Diana was, instead, staying by the front door, hoping by some chance someone (Chloe) would walk in and tell them everything had been a cruel joke.

The phone rung, the brunette reaching for it nearly desperately. "Hello?"

"Diana?" Adam Knight's voice met her. "I'm sorry about getting back so late but I've been doing some things and I just turned on my cell and got a text from Chloe saying that you guys were going to need my help so I should call you. What's up? What's wrong?"

Diana's first words were sobbed, clutching the phone tightly. "Everything!"

"What?" One could hear the dark frown in his voice. "Diana, take in a deep breath and explain what's going on. Why isn't Chloe answering her cell phone? What's wrong?"

"The Seventh is free, Adam." Diana wiped at her eyes, seeing Cassie hurry down the stairs, obviously having hoped that it was Chloe who was calling because there was stark disappointment on her face when the girl heard Adam's name on Diana's lips. "Chloe made a deal with him behind our backs. He told her how to heal Byron, and he also had Whitney, and Pete, Clark and Lana. She left, Adam! She left! She didn't tell us anything! She just _left!_"

"_What_?" he hissed.

"I'm so scared, I don't know what to do!" Diana began to pace as far as the phone cord would allow her to go. "He was controlling Whitney somehow and she'd had him, Whitney, imprisoned in the Bleeding Caves but they're shut down and he's escaped! I have no idea where he is or why they're dead and I'm terrified about why they're dead! They shouldn't be dead, Adam! You've been to those caves! They've always pulsing with life! They shouldn't be dead!"

"What do you mean _dead?"_ Adam hissed.

"I mean they're _dead_! There're beginning to _crumble_! I can't feel an ounce of magic in them!" Diana threw her hand in the air before her gaze lowered to her Eye of Ra symbol on her palm. "And that's not all."

"What else?" Adam asked softly.

"My Eye symbol, I think it's fading."

He was silent.

"Adam… I think it's _fading_," she repeated, voice breaking. "Why would it _fade_?"

"_Fuck_," Adam whispered.

"Adam, I can't feel her." Diana was close to losing it. "Why can't I See anything?"

"I'm coming back to Smallville, Diana," Adam promised. "_We're_ coming. Just hold on, okay? You're not alone in this. We're going to help you. I promise."

"_Is she dead_?" Diana's voice broke.

Cassie collapsed onto the step, tears filling her blues as she hugged herself, gazing at her sister.

"No, Diana, I doubt _very much_ that she's dead," Adam assured her softly. "Just hold on, okay? We'll be there soon. Please be strong a little longer, we're on our way."

"Thank you, Adam," Diana whispered, hanging up, wiping at her eyes as she took ragged breaths, her dark gaze going to Cassie. "He thinks she's still alive."

"So do I," Cassie responded, wiping at her own tears rebelliously.

A knock sounded at the door.

The sisters shared a look before stumbling to their feet and hurrying to the door, flinging it open, eyes flying wide in shock.

"_Pete_?" Diana recognized the boys standing in the doorway. "_Clark_?" The girl must be the famed Lana.

"Where's Chloe?" Cassie wanted to know, looking around.

The three shared looks.

Diana narrowed her eyes. "_Where. Is. Our. Sister?_"

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Chloe lay on a large bed of black silk, sobbing loudly, curled into herself. The room itself was magnificently gothic, dark and enchantingly other-wordly, but the girl was blind to the magic as she cried into her black-silk pillow, her skin and hair pale against the material surrounding her. The Balcoin symbol on her right hand had completely disappeared as well, leaving her with the beginning of another Omega symbol, leaving her both confused, as she'd thought that happened after the death of the current Head of the House (since theirs had appeared after John's death), and sick because it reminded her of what she was now and what her future would be. She'd only just gotten used to what she'd be as the head of the Balcoin Clan, had made peace with that and had actually come to enjoy her life and look forward to what the future had for her. And yet it had all been taken from her.

A knock sounded on her door, Chloe sitting up on the bed, wiping at her eyes. "Yes?"

Desaad's voice reached her through the wood. "There is someone who would like to see you, My Lady."

That title irked her. "Am I the newest addition to the local zoo, Desaad?"

There was a pause. "I believe you would like to see him too, My Lady."

She frowned. "Fine, let him in."

The door opened loudly, Desaad bowing that showy bow of his, which allowed her to see Whitney standing behind him. "Bow, you insolent fool!" He snapped his fingers, the men behind him forcing Whitney to his knees.

"Leave him alone!" Chloe snapped, stumbling off of her bed.

"As you wish." Desaad snapped fingers again, his minions leaving Whitney alone, the Quarterback shrugging them off as he got to his feet. "I will leave you two alone, but my men will be stationed outside these doors. Should you need anything merely call and they will attend to your any need." He gave Whitney a rough push inside of the room before closing the doors behind him.

Chloe stared at Whitney, her eyes red from crying, in shock. "How are you?"

"How am I?" Whitney snapped. "How am _I?"_ He shook his head. "You got yourself kidnapped by _Voldemort_!"

Chloe glared at him. "I didn't exactly have a _choice_."

"Yeah, you did. You could have _not_ gotten kidnapped." Whitney frowned as he drew nearer. "You could have stayed in Smallville where you were safe."

"And what? Let Byron go insane and die? Let Pete, Lana and Clark be tortured and starved to death? Let him continue to control you like that?" Chloe wanted to know.

"_Yes_." Whitney threw his hands in the air. "You're not the savior of the world!"

"This happened to you because of _me_!" Chloe snapped, taking a step towards him. "He wanted you because of how important you are to me! He was only able to get to you because I Enthralled Brent and Brent used the Qandisa Spoon on you, which tainted you with darkness, which was the only reason _he_ could possess you! This is all because of _me_!"

Whitney drew back, surprised by that revelation.

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "If I hadn't used my Enthrallment to my advantage like that, this wouldn't have happened to you. This is my fault. I'm sorry."

"Jesus, Chloe. This is what I was talking about earlier. The part about you needing someone to take care of you because you get too carried away taking care of everyone else." Whitney groaned, going to a chair and sitting down hard on it with a sigh. "How deep are we in this?"

Chloe licked her lips. "Very."

"Walk me through it."

"Well," Chloe moved towards him, "there's a very dark side and there's a kinda bright side."

"Give me the very dark side." Whitney eyed her.

Chloe merely turned both her palms towards him.

Whitney's blues widened as he jumped off of his chair and came towards her, holding her palms. "What the hell?"

"I had to give up my claim to the Balcoin clan," Chloe whispered, watching him examine the very slow and vague formation of the Omega symbols on her palms. "I'm now the sole heiress to the Darkseid Clan."

Whitney's blues rose to her greens. "What's the kinda bright side?"

"We promised we'd be together through thick and thin, right?" She gave him a weak smile. "Apparently Rao's pissed off because, while he's claimed you, and a Darkseid claim is supposed to be permanent, he can't really pin you down because I claimed you first… And technically my claim's a Darkseid claim as well."

Whitney's eyes widened, his lips twitching before he chuckled, his fingers somehow threaded through hers. "You don't say."

"I do say." Chloe nodded, squeezing his grip on her hands. "Thing is, I don't really know how to claim someone as a Darkseid. You wouldn't remember how he did it, would you?"

Whitney shook his head. "I don't remember anything about the after party from hell."

"Great." Chloe sighed, before her eyes widened. "Oh! Random information; the Freaky Friday incident – that's a Darkseid thing."

Whitney frowned. "Body jumping?"

"More like mind transference." Chloe frowned as well, tilting her head before thinking of something. "Makes me rethink the whole Legend of the Seeker thing as well. He says that my Darkseid magic is only now awakening, though, so it could have only just been moments of… I don't know… Those were moments when… I don't know how to explain it."

"No matter how confusing that was, I get what you are saying." Whitney eyed her thoughtfully. "Your Darkseid magic could have just had moments, or bursts, of awakening, due to your desires. They weren't needed, so they'd go back to being dormant. Just like your Balcoin magic. It was only activated when Nell attacked you; up until then, it was dormant and you were using the crippled, weak Hibbins magic you have inside you, which is why Nell thought you were so weak and useless."

Chloe nodded.

"If only-" Whitney grunted in pain, pulling away from her as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, gasping in pain, the Omega sign on his forehead beginning to burn bright red. "What's-?" The Hamsa with the Balcoin symbol on his palm was burning brightly as well.

"It's starting." Chloe's eyes widened in horror. "_No_!" She dropped to her knees, looming over him. "I don't know what to do!"

Whitney curled into a ball, clenching his teeth as he grunted in pain.

"I claim him!" Chloe placed her palm on his Omega symbol but nothing was happening. "I claim him!" This time she placed it on his Hamsa sign, but once again nothing happened. "I'm claiming him, damn it!" The blonde was desperate.

Why wasn't this working?

"_Chlo…_" Whitney coughed up blood.

"_Whitney_…" Chloe's eyes widened in terror. "_No." _Just like the night with Qandisa, terror at the thought of losing Whitney filled her, leaving her breathless. She shook her head, her heart racing, her blood rising and drowning out every sound, leaving only the sound of drums in her ears as she rolled Whitney onto his back and straddled his hips. "I'm not claiming you." She stared down into his face as she leaned her face towards his, wiping his bloodied lips with her thumb. "I already have." She stared down into those blue eyes, feeling something inside of her stirring, something that had been dormant, somehow knowing that what she was about to do, she'd never be able to turn back from, but knowing that she'd be saving Whitney's life by doing so. She didn't care about the consequences her actions would have so long as he lived. "I've claimed you, Whitney. I've claimed you over and over again. I've claimed you to Qandisa. I've claimed you to Rao." She licked her lips, that something inside of her beginning to burn as she leaned in closer. "I need _you_ to claim_ me_ now."

Whitney stared up at her with fevered, pained eyes before he reached up and cupped the back of her head, bringing her lips down to meet his. This wasn't what she'd meant, hadn't been what she'd been referring to as his lips moved against hers, their kiss tasting of blood and magic, but Chloe didn't pull away, that something in her bubbling almost painfully before _exploding_ the second her fingers fisted in his letterman jacket. His hands moved through her hair, somehow loosening the locks from their restraint as he pulled her closer, kissing her deeper. Chloe whimpered, feeling her magic moving into him, could feel his meeting hers, rubbing against hers in a way it hadn't before that left her trembling. A groan escaped her lips into his and something inside the room exploded violently.

Her breath escaped her in a gasp as Chloe found their positions reversed, green eyes opening to find herself staring up into blues as she lay beneath Whitney's lean body, his arms palms down on each side of her head. There was an odd expression on his face as he stared down at her.

"You look like you're still in pain," she whispered softly.

Shockingly, a blush darkened on his cheekbones as he looked away.

"Whitney, if you're still in pain, you shouldn't hide that. Obviously we still need more." Chloe glared, reaching up and jerking the unprepared jock down by his shirt, the boy falling completely onto her, knocking the breath out of her slightly as he did so, but she quickly recovered, finding his lips with hers as she kissed him. Her fingers buried themselves in Whitney's hair, massaging his scalp, able to _feel_ the way he seemed to be fighting himself, fighting her, and the girl was confused. Why was he doing this? He'd seemed to be okay before. Why was he fighting now? Didn't he want to claim her now? He'd been happy to claim her before! Was he angry with her? Had he started to realize that this was all her fault?

Whitney's hands were tight fists on her sides, his whole body tense, slightly lifted off of her, his lips barely touching hers, the boy awkward and tense and… well…

Chloe pushed away slightly, waiting for his blues to open to stare into his with worry, still seeing the pain there. The division in the claims must still be tearing him apart from the inside, must still be killing him; that was the only explanation she could come up with for the pain she could see in his face. So why wasn't he putting his all into this when she could _tell_ it had started to help him? "Whitney?" She reached up to brush a golden lock out of his face, worried as hell. "What's wrong?"

He licked his lips, face red and painful. "Nothing, I, you don't, it's just that-"

"You're not going to get better, it won't stop hurting, until you claim me." Chloe stared up into his face, needing him to understand. "You need to claim me as yours, Whitney."

His face went scarlet as he looked away, the pain in his expression intensifying as his body tensed further. "_Goddamn it__,_Chloe."

"Is it getting worse?" she asked, worried as hell.

"Damn straight it is," he hissed softly, getting redder.

Chloe closed her eyes, realizing that, for some reason, Whitney was having difficulty with this.

There was a pause and then a soft, "_I'm going to hell for this_", and then his lips were on hers, his fingers threading through hers as he kissed her languidly, his body covering her completely.

She realized that with her eyes closed, she could feel his heartbeat against her breast, the beat rapid. She could smell the distinct smell that was the scent of Whitney's skin, and it was only in that second that she realized that Whitney's skin had a scent and that she knew it, the realization taking her by surprise for a second as well as the shock of dark pleasure that jolted her when his body shifted against hers. It was only once he'd done that that she'd finally understood why he'd been so red and _why_ he'd cursed her, because damn it, she _was dense_. Why hadn't she realized that he was a guy, and she was a girl, and given everything, this wasn't a totally unforeseeable consequence of what they'd been doing? She could feel the reason _why_ he'd had that slightly pained expression, pressing against her abdomen, the girl whimpering into the kiss, clutching at Whitney's letterman jacket tighter in shock when she felt a throb.

It was only the cawing of a raven that brought the two teenagers apart, the blondes red-faced and with swollen lips as their eyes widened, looking around the room which had drastically changed since the last time they'd looked.

Whitney slowly stood, helping her to her feet before covering his tented pants with his hands awkwardly. "Chloe?"

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked around at what looked like the dead remains of a forest before turning to look at Whitney in confusion. "I have no idea. I swear if I've done this, I haven't done so on purpose."

"Not much of a consolation." Whitney sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead. "Freaky Friday and Legend of the Seeker weren't done on purpose either."

Chloe's eyes widened as she reached for his hand, pulling it to her. "Look!"

Whitney gazed down at his Hamsa… or what used to be his Hamsa. In its place was a new version of his original Hamsa, which seemed more ornate and yet less human, the nails clearly claws, trails of blood dripping off the sharp, curved tips. Another difference was that instead of a Balcoin symbol in the middle of the Hamsa, there was an intricate winged serpent.

Chloe grinned, lifting her palm to show her miniaturized version. There were two Eye designs on the spikes emerging from the heptagon design as well on her palm, (one on the top spike and one on the bottom on), each Eye vastly different in design from the other, one horribly faded, while the other really didn't seem faded at all. But Chloe wasn't paying attention to the Eyes, instead she gazed at the transformed Hamsa design, which was bold and dominant. "You claimed me."

Whitney went scarlet once more, pulling his hand free and looking away. "Let's never talk about that ever again and forget it ever happened."

Chloe went red once more, thinking about "the claiming" and nodding. "Sure."

"Good." His gaze went to his pants and he let out a little growl. "Don't look at in my general direction for a while also."

She, of course, looked down at his pants and then looked away, face growing redder. "That's, uh, nothing to be ashamed of. You're a normal teenaged guy and I'm a normal teenaged girl and the fact that we were both aroused by what happened between us is, uh, normal."

Whitney froze, eyes wide. "_Both-_?"

Chloe's eyes widened and she started walking rapidly away from the Quarterback, making her way through the dead trees. "Do you see that light over there? I see a light over there. Should there be a light over there? I think we should go over there. I'm going over there."

Whitney easily caught up with her, not saying anything but sending her a couple of curious sideways glances before clearing his throat and fixing his gaze ahead of them on the light she'd mentioned before. "This doesn't seem movie or television based, does it? It's not something you recognize?"

She didn't answer at first, taking a couple of minutes to really pay attention to her surroundings, before shaking her head. "No. I don't think so. This doesn't feel the least bit familiar."

"That isn't in the least bit comforting." The Quarterback clenched his fists, a ball of energy forming around them as he moved, his blues alert around the area. "I don't like the feeling I get from this place."

"What feeling?" Chloe sent him a curious look.

"Like the sun's about to set? I don't know, I can't explain it." Whitney made a face as they walked through the dead trees, twisting and turning as they drew closer and closer towards the source of the soft blue light that had caught her attention earlier.

Chloe stepped out from the forest of dead trees into a clearing of withered grass, finding an arched column of stones extending out from the ground, a pool of crimson water glowing underneath. This was the light they'd seen.

"What _is_ this place?" Whitney made a face as he drew closer, staring down at their reflection in the crimson water. His eyes widened when, instead of seeing them as they were, he saw Chloe as an even more monstrous version of Scales, eyes black as sin, a mark upon her forehead that seemed a mixture of the Omega symbol and the Balcoin symbol. Whitney's reflection bore blood red eyes with a heptagon upon his forehead which bore the symbol of a monstrous winged serpent within it.

Chloe's eyes were wide. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Depends." Whitney cleared his throat. "Are you a dragon?"

"You're seeing what I'm seeing." Chloe gulped.

"You two should not be here," an unfamiliar voice declared from behind them.

The two turned around to see an elderly woman with silver hair in a bun. She wore a bright blue top with a sweater garnished with a rose design pin, and a long white, blue, and black pattern skirt. She had a sweet appearance but there was something about her that made Chloe narrow her eyes distrustfully.

The blonde raised her chin. "Where exactly is 'here'?"

The elder lady eyed them curiously. "You do not know where you are, My Lady?"

The title caused Chloe's eyes to widen as realization set in. "We're still in Rao's domain."

"Of course." The woman eyed them curious. "There was doubt?"

Chloe frowned, sending Whitney a little look as she returned her attention to the woman. "I was in my chambers with Whitney when all of a sudden we were here."

The woman was silent, as if waiting for more, before she smiled softly, as if amused with them. "Is that all? You just _blinked_ and you were here?"

Chloe's gaze met Whitney's and she could feel a blush warming her cheeks as she looked away. "We weren't trying to escape; we weren't even trying to leave the room. That's all that matters-" She paused, realizing she didn't know who she was addressing.

"Call me _Granny_." The older woman smiled ever so pleasantly. "Everyone calls me Granny Goodness."

"_Granny_." Chloe found it hard to say that one. "I don't understand how one second Whitney and I are in my room and in the next we're here."

"Where _is_ here anyway?" Whitney wanted to know. "And what the hell is this pool thing?"

"This 'pool thing', boy, is none of your business." Granny Goodness raised her eyebrow. "Now come, I will show you both the way out." She sent Chloe a little look of womanly knowledge as she moved closer, voice lowering. "You will learn in time, My Lady, to control what your magic does when your mind goes blank."

Chloe's eyes went wide as her blush darkened, her greens darkening too. "You're a telepath."

"It's one of my many uses for My Master." Granny Goodness smiled in pride. "I also have the ability to tinker with the mind – memories to be precise. Your half-brother and friends will remember they were in France, and that they were held and tortured, and that he took up the leadership of the Balcoin family, but other than that they will not remember anything that will be of any use to them or anyone else." She turned her gaze on Chloe. "So please, My Lady, do grow to love it here. You're never leaving."

…

Greg gasped for breath as he jolted up in bed, sweat covering his body. A scarred hand went to his head as the images he'd Seen already began to fade, but he was prepared. This had been happening to him the last couple of nights and while, at first he hadn't been prepared, and then on the second night, he'd thought it'd been a coincidence, by the third, he'd been ready. Greg reached for the notepad by his bed and hurriedly began scribbling down every single thing he could remember about the dream this time. Each time he dreamt he could remember something different. This time there was the Granny Goodness character and her being a telepath and memory eraser, which was a seriously important detail, damn it! Those were both very rare, very powerful powers!

Only once he was sure that he had everything written down did Greg collapse onto the bed, his head killing him. He hoped to god that Chloe and Whitney were fine because things weren't good here.

Pete was doing his best, Greg knew he was, but Pete wasn't filling Chloe's shoes that well.

Then again, it really wasn't fair on Pete considering that every Balcoin resented him for it.

Diana was pissed as hell that Pete would just walk out and let Chloe remain, the brunette not talking to him. And considering that Lana was defending him tooth and nail saying that Pete hadn't had any other choice, Diana and Lana were basically at each other's neck night and day.

Cassie had never met Pete once, hadn't even spoken to Pete through Skype as Diana had, so she hadn't really cared much what had happened to him. And the blonde had been quite blunt about that. Chloe was her sister and she wanted her sister back. She wasn't accepting Pete as the First and was staying with Greg and his mother. Greg hadn't invited her to stay with him, he wasn't even sure his _mother_ had, but somehow Cassie had sweetened his mother into thinking she was some sort of angel and his mother was in love with the girl and thought of her as the daughter she'd never had and wanted her to stay forever. Greg was horrified at the very thought and wanted Chloe back more than ever if only to get Cassie to leave. He wanted his bathroom to himself once more.

Mikhail had not only refused to accept Pete as the First, but he'd also challenged Pete's right to be First while Chloe was not only the Firstborn but still alive. Both he and Lucas had left the house and were living with the Lost Boys in Edge City permanently, trying to find something to 'dethrone the usurper'.

Byron was probably the nicest one to Pete, but that was because Byron was just a nice guy. Still, it was more than obvious that Byron wanted his sister back.

Jake, Faye and Adam's family were with Pete trying to figure out what to do, but considering Pete, Clark and Lana couldn't really remember anything, there wasn't much to go on.

And not only that, but the Bleeding Caves were dead. Whenever a Firstborn or First (a 'First' was the Secondborn or anyone who wasn't the Firstborn who became the head of the family) inherited after his or her predecessor, the Caves would shut down for a little bit before reawakening under their new leadership and change, becoming one with the new Firstborn/First, evolving according to the amount of power said Firstborn/First held. But the Bleeding Caves were dead. It made no sense. Chloe had renounced the position of Firstborn and Pete had accepted. That should have been enough according to Rao Darkseid. The Caves should have awoken under their new leadership: Pete. Instead they were beginning to crumble, to cave in, to completely disintegrate into nothingness.

What was going _on_?

The door opened and Cassie stuck her head in before entering his room, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. "Okay, that's it. I'm done."

Greg sat up in bed, frowning. "With what? Knocking?"

She ignored him, coming to sit on the edge of his bed. "Tell me."

"What exactly?" Greg made a face.

She glared. "Every night you're waking up with nightmares, Greg. And we've established that you're her Eye. Also? Diana's Eye is fading. Another interesting thing? _Yours_ isn't." The blonde reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him forward violently, eyeing his All-Seeing Eye design accusingly. "It's fine. I'm not usually a girl who likes to gamble but I'm willing to bet there's a very good reason as to why." Her glare rose to his face as she let go of his hand. "Start talking, Arkin. I didn't just move in here just because the other option was Clark's, you know."

Greg frowned. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"You do if you don't want me telling everyone else and having them pester you," Cassie threatened, folding her arms over her chest. "So spill it, Arkin. What are you Seeing every night? And why are you still able to See things when Diana can't?"

Greg's mind flashed to that morning, of that burst of magic from Chloe to him as they held hands, and of Chloe's little smile as she let go of his hands and told him to go. "Fine, but you can't tell _anyone_."

"Want me to pinky swear?" she snarked.

"Couldn't hurt." He smirked, holding out his pinky towards her.

"You're impossible!" Cassie cried out before curling her pinky around his.

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**TBC**


	80. Connecting Gone Wrong

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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It had been subtle at first, Chloe attributing it to stress, but as the days had turned to weeks, the blonde realized that the gaps were getting larger and larger and she knew that it couldn't be natural. There was no way that she could blame stress for her blurry confusion on whether Cassie was blonde or a redhead, or if Diana was younger than Byron, or whether it was Mikhail or Lucas who was actually her brother. She could see Whitney battling the same symptoms whenever she'd ask him to clarify something for her; it was in the way he'd hesitate for a second, how his blues would narrow for a moment, his lips pull in a thin line before he'd answer. It was Granny, Chloe was sure of it. The old woman was Rao's right hand, his most faithful and one of his most powerful servants, his most zealous follower. Chloe had seen the woman's talents at work and knew that the woman with the deceptively sweet personality was smart enough to know not to outright wipe Chloe or Whitney's memory, the agony of it would give it away. No. She was somehow slowly messing with their minds, with their memories, targeting specifics ones, specific people.

Chloe could barely remember her father. Her real father. Gabe. She clung to one memory, the last memory she had left of him, the only one that hadn't been taken. She was terrified of what would happen to her, to the real her, when and if that memory was stolen. Gabe Sullivan was the reason she was the person she was today and if she couldn't remember him or the lessons he'd taught her… She was terrified of what she could become.

Every day the Omega symbols slowly grew more prominent on her palms, and the more they appeared, the worse her memory grew, the blonde wondering if somehow their appearance made Granny's ability to remove her memories stronger. It made no sense though. She was the damned Firstborn! She should be stronger than Granny Goodness! Unless Granny Goodness was channeling magic from Rao himself... Which she probably was, now that Chloe thought about it. It would make sense. He'd want Chloe not to have any ties to anyone else, seeing them as threats. Hadn't Francis said that that was why Gabe had been killed? Because Rao had seen him as a threat? Rao hadn't been able to corrupt the man, so he'd killed him.

The only reason Chloe wasn't fighting this harder was out of fear, not for herself but for her friends and family. If she fought it harder, Rao might (rightfully) see her connection to them as a threat and kill them as he had her father. She'd prefer to forget them and for them to live their lives than to remember them and for the psychopath to murder each and every one of them just to remove an obstacle from his path. And she knew that the telepath, Granny Goodness, could read that in her mind and that through her, Rao Darkseid would know that. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"What are we doing?" Chloe wanted to know, looking around the completely black and empty room, uneasy as she sat opposite Rao, Indian Style.

Rao sat as if meditating, his eyes closed, his hands resting on his knees, head tilted back slightly. "We are going to connect with your prophet."

Chloe frowned at him. "I don't have a prophet." In fact, she wasn't quite sure she knew what he was referring to, because she doubted he was referring to the Biblical prophet.

His eyes remained closed, his expression lax. "Of course you do."

"I think I would remember having a prophet." She leveled him with a glare. "My memory mightn't be what it used to, but a prophet is something that a girl would find hard to forget."

He extended hi

s fingers out towards her.

Chloe's eyes shut against their will, the girl whimpering at the pain as her body was forcefully aligned to mimic his, the back of her hands resting on her knees, her palms upwards.

"I will not tolerate disobedience, Chloe, nor will I accept anything less than total effort on your part. I do not expect perfect results to begin with, but I expect complete and utter dedication from you. If I do not sense your commitment to this, I will punish you as I expect better from you." Rao spoke calmly, his magic suffocating around her. "Do you understand this?

She nodded. "Yes." The magic lifted, the girl able to breathe freely once more, taking in a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed.

"Good." Rao cleared his throat. "Now concentrate on your prophet."

"I'm not trying to be disobedient, _believe_ me I'm not." Chloe kept her eyes closed. "But I don't _have_ a prophet, and if I _do_ have one, it's somehow skipped my notice."

There was a pause and then Rao groaned. "You have turned out more Hibbins than anticipated."

Chloe frowned, realizing he'd just severely insulted her in his books.

"Keep your eyes closed and blank your mind, imagine this room but without us in it," Rao ordered. "Once you have been able to at least accomplish _that_ much, let me know."

The condescending tone made her teeth clench and she wanted to smack the hell out of him, but she realized that it wasn't as easy as she'd thought it was. Try as she might, she really couldn't imagine this room without them in it and that was annoying the hell out of her! And the more annoyed she got, the more cluttered the room started to get. Chloe clenched her fists (which really should have remained relaxed and open), trying to remove the clutter in her mind but instead of getting rid of the junk in the imagined room, things kept on piling up.

Symbols and sigils appeared, blood red and glowing fiercely as they ripped through the smooth ceiling, walls, and floors, causing cracks to appear all over.

Exotic, night blossoming flowers with spiked, venom-covered thorns began to appear through the cracks, growing throughout the room. Some of the flowers were living flames, others were frozen.

Water began to trickle upwards from the cracks in the ceiling, collecting in what was slowly forming into what was looking like a black lake of water, a creature with a spiked fin swimming in the murky water.

The Omega symbols in her palms throbbed, Chloe feeling somewhat disoriented, a part of her forgetting what exactly she was supposed to be doing as her green gaze noticed a butterfly with dragon eyes on its wings flying around the room.

Butterflies...

There'd been something about butterflies...

But what?

The butterfly suddenly gave violent jerks in mid-air, the sound of skin tearing echoing throughout the room before it was ripped apart before her very eyes and its remains tumbled to the ground, disappearing into one of the many cracks in the ground.

Chloe swayed, feeling ill.

Suddenly, a roar shook the room and a clawed arm reached out from where the butterfly had disappeared, a monstrous being slowly yanking itself from the crack, this fanged, horrifying beast bearing the same dragon eyes that had been on the butterfly's wings. It wasn't like anything she'd seen before, an amalgamation of a million different sorts of medieval monsters piled into one horrifying creature, seeming to grow larger and larger as it took each breath, the room seeming to grow larger with it, expanding exponentially until there was no end to it, like the galaxy.

The creature moved towards Chloe, staring straight into her eyes, its breath on her face, blowing her hair back.

This was one _seriously_ realistic hallucination she was having!

She turned to Rao to tell him that she wasn't messing this up on purpose, that something was obviously going wrong, maybe it was something she'd eaten – only to find that he wasn't there.

Chloe's eyes widened and her heart raced in terror as she slowly returned her attention back to the humongous monster. "This isn't my imagination anymore, is it?"

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There was no denying that the Seventh was free, or that he existed for that matter.

Janus had confessed that he'd helped Lionel Luthor and John Balcoin set Rao Darkseid free from the Shadow Realm he'd been held captive in for so long, and that the Seventh had been walking amongst them for years. The Three who'd been in the dark about this were in an uproar, knowing they weren't safe now that Darkseid was unleashed upon the earth, and yet there really wasn't much that could be done. The Originals had only been able to trap Rao through deception, and it was only due to their immense powers as Originals. There was very little that could be done now. Everyone knew this. Especially Rao. This was something that filled _everyone_ with dread.

Rao was starting to make his presence known in the magical community, the Omega symbol appearing in gathering places everywhere. His followers, who called themselves his "faithful", spoke about their "Master" and "Lord" and his return to power. They spoke about Rao Darkseid and how he would do away with the Six betrayers, how he'd make all those who'd betrayed him suffer a hundred times worse than what he had, and that he'd become the One, how he _could _become the One without affecting the balance of magic. His followers promised those who took his mark as theirs, those who pledged themselves to Darkseid, would be under his protection and wouldn't have their magic affected, wouldn't suffer along with the others when he brought his retribution upon the Houses of the Six. They'd be welcomed into the Darkseid House with opened arms as one of their own.

It was a call to War, to choose sides.

"She's okay, Diana." Adam rested his hand on Diana's shoulder, the girl staring out of the window by the front door. "She's obviously valuable to him. She's _okay_."

"She's _not_ okay, Adam." Diana sent him a harsh look, the brunette trembling. "My Eye of Ra might be fading but I can _feel_ it. She's _not_ okay." She licked her lips, obviously doing her best to keep from crying, returning her dark gaze out the window as she hugged herself. "Something's _very wrong_. And I'm not talking about the fact that she's being kept by that psychopath! Something, at this _very second_, is _very wrong_."

Adam frowned. "You can still feel her?"

"Sometimes, very faintly, when something's _incredibly_ wrong," Diana whispered, tapping her foot in nerves. "A part of me is so relieved because it lets me know that, even if faintly, we're still connected. But I'm terrified because I know that she's in danger; something horrible is happening to her."

Adam tightened his grip on her shoulder. "This is Chloe we're talking about. She's going to be fine. We should be worried about whatever she's up against."

"No." Diana shook her head, brushing the pad of her palm against her eyes. "I'm worried about _her_." Her voice cracked as she returned to hugging herself tightly. "I'm so worried about her, it _hurts_." Her whole body trembled. "_I want her back_."

Adam watched her awkwardly, obviously not sure what in the world to do.

Diana lowered her gaze, an odd expression on her face. "Can I tell you something and you promise not to tell anyone?"

The older guy nodded, eager to help in any way. "Sure."

"I'm tempted," Diana whispered. "_Very_ tempted."

Adam blinked, tilting his head to the side. "To do what?"

Diana licked her lips, turning to face him. "To take the mark."

Adam's eyes widened in horror. "You can't be serious!"

"Why not?" Diana asked, looking away.

"Because Rao Darkseid is _evil_ and wants your family dead? He wants us _all_ dead?" Adam asked with stark confusion, throwing his hands in the air. "Probably after a good dose of torture?"

"Not if we take the mark!" Diana frowned. "And if I did, maybe he'd let me see Chloe! I need to know that she's okay, Adam! I'm desperate! I can't just stand here and not do anything! I can't – I just _can't_-!"

Adam reached out and grabbed Diana by her shoulders, staring at her eyes. "Diana." He took in a deep breath. "You can't seriously think that joining the Dark Side is the answer when you haven't even given Pete a chance."

"Pete?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" She shrugged off his touch angrily, desperately. "The Caves _crumbled in on themselves _yesterday, Adam. No one can enter them anymore. Not even _they_ accepted him as the First!" She threw her hands in the air. "And what has he done since he's been back? Nothing! He can't remember anything beyond the torture and Chloe forcing him to take on her responsibility as the head of the Balcoin Clan! There's nothing that any of them can remember that can give us any idea of where they were being kept or how to track them down or anything that is remotely useful! Not only that, but they're so weak from the torture, they can't exactly _do_ anything! And!" She grabbed at her hair in near desperation. "The Balcoin Book of Shadows _won't open for him_. Adam! IT WON'T OPEN FOR HIM! He tried forcing it open AND IT CAUGHT ON FIRE!" She was in near hysterics, the girl having been holding everything in for too long, beginning to pace. "He's a nice guy, okay, and I get that this isn't his fault. I get that. I get that he didn't steal this position or power or anything from Chloe like Mikhail and Lucas want to believe. I _get_ that. And I understand that if she hadn't forced him to leave, he would have stayed there with her, that he doesn't want her there, that he's just as worried about her as we are, that he loves her, that she's his sister too. I get all of that. I think I get that better than any of our other siblings do. I think I'm the only one that realizes that he's our brother and she's his sister as well." She stared at Adam hard so that he could get that yes, she _did_ get all of this before she continued on. "But Pete doesn't _want_ to be the First, _resents_ the position, and you know _what_? It _shows_ and I think the Caves, the Book of Shadows, and _we all_ can feel it!" She collapsed to her knees on the ground, hiding her face in her hands. "_I want my sister back_." She hunched over, shoulders shaking as she cried. "_I want my __**family**__ back._"

Adam gulped, obviously uncomfortable and unsure of how to proceed, before clearing his throat and sighing as he knelt down, hesitating before engulfing her in an awkward hug. "It'll work out somehow, Diana. It will. My family is helping. Everyone's helping. You guys aren't alone." He pulled away when his phone rang with a text message, the guy checking it as he cleared his throat and ruffled her hair awkwardly. "So, uh, chin up. Everything will be fine. I need to, uh, check on something. You just, sit down, and smile. It'll be fine." Adam gave her a smile before leaving through the front door.

Diana slowly stood, wiping her eyes as she watched him jump into his car before speeding away, the brunette throwing herself into the bay window and leaning her forehead against the glass as she closed her eyes.

"Did you really mean that or were you just in the middle of a nervous breakdown?" a voice asked behind her.

Diana jerked, eyes wide as she turned to see Faye leaning with her hip in the doorway. "What?"

Faye chewed on some bubblegum, arms folded over her chest as she eyed Diana thoughtfully, eyes lined and shadowed darkly as she blew and popped her gum before speaking once more. "Did you really mean what you said to Adam before?"

A little uneasy, Diana stood, rubbing her arm. "Which part?"

"The part where you said you were thinking about taking the mark." Faye eyed her suspiciously. "I think we should know if you're about to turn loose canon on us."

Diana flinched, looking away. "You're right. You should know." She took in a deep breath. "I might."

Faye eyed her with narrowed hazel eyes, chewing on her gum, blowing a bubble and then popping it as she eyed the girl thoughtfully, before shrugging. "Good, I need a stake out partner."

Diana blinked, turning her dark gaze on the other girl. "Stake out partner?"

"I've found out where some of these 'faithfuls' are having a secret meeting for potential initiates and your genuine interest could come in handy in case they have some sort of sniffer or something," Faye announced, hands on her hips. "Be ready to sneak out tonight at midnight and wear something culty."

"Culty?" Diana blinked.

"I don't know. Black?" Faye shrugged, turning as she moved to go up the stairs. "I don't think I have to tell you to keep this between the two of us."

Diana watched Faye as the girl ascended the steps. "So you were going to go to this thing by yourself?"

Faye paused and looked down at her. "Yes."

"Why?" Diana frowned.

Faye sighed, turning around to face the other girl. "Diana, Diana, Diana." Faye tilted her head to the side. "How can I be a part of Chloe's Circle if I can't even figure out where she is?" Her eyes widened slightly. "Obviously I need to weasel my way in and find out where she is through these loser dork faithfuls."

Diana eyed Faye silently for a second, frowning softly. "But she's not the Balcoin Firstborn anymore, Faye." Her frown grew. "Shouldn't you be trying to get into Pete's Circle? He's the First now."

Faye snorted. "Are you kidding me? The Book of Shadows _caught on fire _when he tried opening it." The girl rolled her eyes, single dimple deep. "How I see it, everyone and everything that matters still see Chloe as Firstborn, and so do I." That dimple went deeper, her smirk wider. "And even if she's not the Balcoin leader anymore, she's still going to be the leader of her own Circle, isn't she?" Faye shrugged. "Just going to have a different symbol." And with that, she turned and continued walking away.

Diana watched Faye until the girl disappeared, doubt beginning to fill her as to whether Faye's original reason for going to this potential meeting had actually been a stake out as she'd made it out to be, or if she, as Diana, had been tempted to take the mark, but was too proud to admit it.

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"He's known as Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, a mobster and owner of the Metropolis "Ace of Clubs", which he took over after killing its previous owner, Ron Milano," Trent announced, pulling up the file on the main screen of the computer next to the drawing Chloe and Whitney had compiled together of the man they'd seen at the "after party from hell" that Chloe had wanted more information on. More information on Brino Mannheim appeared on the other nineteen screens in John's room, Lucas and Mikhail drawing closer. "Apparently he also has his hands in the production of counterfeit money."

"So basically, he's an all-round nice guy," Lucas smart-mouthed.

Everyone ignored him.

Trent continued typing, windows opening to reveal more and more information on Bruno. "He's the leader of a criminal organization known as Intergang, a position that affords him vast resources which he uses to control much of the underworld. He is amoral and has no convictions, no conscience, no problems using or hurting innocent people for his own means. He's in direct competition with Byron's uncle, Morgan Edge. The turf wars are getting bloodier and bloodier, but the only person that Bruno Mannheim fears, admires, is desperate to please... feels _anything_ for, if my sources can be trusted, is his Master and benefactor." A quick movement of Trent's fingers against the keyboard brought up a picture of Bruno walking down the street with a dignified looking gentleman in an expensive business suit. "Meet Rao Darkseid."

Silence fell upon the group as they finally got a view of the man behind the symbol that was being burnt and plastered everywhere in the magical community.

Mikhail finally broke the silence, fingertips touching. "I expected... more."

"Tails and horns at _least_," Lucas agreed sourly. "We can take gramps on."

Grant frowned, leaning closer to the screen. "I know this club. John had us scope it out. Don't you remember?"

Mikhail turned to him. "John did what?"

Brent blinked before nodding. "That's right! Brendan, don't you remember? You were hitting on that redhead the whole night!"

"Yeah." Brendan glared at Brent. "The redhead that _none of you_ were good enough to tell me was a _guy_!"

"Well if you couldn't figure that out on your own, you deserved the surprise at the end of the night." Brent snorted.

Grant eyed them before shaking his head and turning to Mikhail. "John used to keep files on this guy somewhere. He was researching him, I don't know why though."

"If John was researching him, those files should be on the hard drive somewhere." Trent pulled up a new window, beginning to type in some new commands. "And if they're here, I'll find them."

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Something was being killed somewhere close by, too close for her comfort. Chloe was hiding in some bushes, her body scratched, bruised, her clothes torn, and she'd lost a shoe somewhere but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she'd lost that thing. She had. She _had._ Closing her eyes, Chloe hugged herself as she curled into a ball, trying to drown out the sounds of the creature screaming in agony as it was devoured alive somewhere way too close to her. What was it? What had attacked it? Was it that huge creature? Where was she? Where was Rao? What was going on? Was this another dream? Was this another part of the complex again?

A vine curled around her ankles and gave a vicious tug, the girl only able to scream before she was yanked through the ground rapidly towards only the gods knew where. She turned, trying to dig her nails in the ground, but she couldn't get a good hold. Her skin was scraping on the stones, the blonde crying out in pain as she turned on her back and reached out her hand, concentrating on the vines, a cry of relief escaping her lips when suddenly they erupted in flames, a shriek echoing in the air somewhere when it did.

Pushing to her feet, Chloe started running in the opposite direction as fast as she could, not sure what she was running away from or where exactly would be safe but desperate to be as far away from that vine thing as possible. It was only when she was out of breath that she stopped and remembered her shield, the blonde feeling like a fool as she brought it up immediately and caught her breath, falling to the ground. She knew she couldn't keep the shield up indefinitely and that she'd grow tired, but for now, as she hugged her knees to her chest, she was safe.

As she sat there, various monsters made their presence known, coming upon her, curious. Some attacked her, some were just curious, and some seemed scared even. It gave her a good chance to see what she was up against in this nightmarish land though, the blonde horrified each and every time she caught a glimpse of a new being. What sort of horrible place was this and why was she here? What could she have ever done to deserve to be here? And how could she go back home? She tried imagining the black room once more but nothing. No reverse meditation was working. She was good and stuck. Great. Just great.

That was when she began to wonder if maybe she was supposed to be here. Maybe this was supposed to happen. Maybe this was a test. Maybe this was the Darkseid version of the Balcoins Trials. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, the blonde narrowing her eyes. There had to be something about this place that she had to learn about. Maybe she had to survive this place for a couple of days. Maybe that was it. Or maybe she was supposed to kill one of the creatures. That could be it too.

There was only one way to find out.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe stood and took down the shield.

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"Where is she?" Whitney snarled, the design on his palm throbbing viciously as he stormed into the room, feeling something within him trying to tear free. He could feel a viciousness inside of himself that he couldn't understand, had only tasted once before – that night the men of Smallville had attacked Chloe outside the Bleeding Caves. Like then, he could taste her spilt blood in his mouth and it was driving him into some sort of blood frenzy, the Quarterback driving back the two men who'd rushed towards him, easily sending them flying away from him and into the walls as he stormed towards where Rao stood, Granny and Desaad on his either side. "_Where. Is. She?"_

"You _dare_ enter these chambers unsummoned?" Desaad snarled, stepping forwards. "You _dare_ speak to our Lord in such a tone? You _dare_-!?"

Whitney reached out, barely realizing his nails resembled claws as they closed around Desaad's throat, the Quarterback lifting Desaad into the air, dangling him off of his feet and cutting him off. The taste of Chloe's blood was getting thicker in Whitney's mouth, driving him more insane, the blonde catching a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror behind Rao, realizing that his eyes were burning infernally red, just like the mark on his palm and the one on his elbow. He tightened his grip on Desaad's neck, hearing bones beginning to crack. "_Where. Is. She?_"

Granny Goodness stepped forwards.

Rao lifted his hand, stopping her. "Put him down. You cannot help her by hurting him. You cannot join her by hurting him." Rao eyed Whitney. "I had not realized your importance to her. I'd assumed you were a mere faithful, a minion, but you're a Sanguine."

Whitney dropped Desaad.

"Taste her blood, do you? Can you feel it being spilt? Does it drive you insane? Every drop makes your eyes go a little bit redder with rage. Does it take a little bit more of your control away?" Rao eyed him curiously, fascinated. "Do you know how _rare_ Sanguines are?"

"Do you know how little I care?" Whitney snarled, coming to face Rao. The pupils of his eyes barely visible as he flinched, the metallic taste in his mouth growing. He licked his lips, trying to get rid of the taste, clenching his fists tightly. "I don't want to ask you again."

Rao smiled before backhanding Whitney with enough force to send the Quarterback flying hard against the door. "_Remember who you are talking to, Sanguine._"

Whitney groaned, picking himself up from the ground, bruised but not beaten.

"My daughter seems completely unable to contact her prophet, and yet she's unknowingly mastered an art I had not expected to teach her yet." Rao did not seem pleased at all, his eyes narrowed on Whitney. "She has gone some place I need you to retrieve her from before she is killed."

"What are you talking about?" Whitney wiped at the blood from his lip, blues narrowed on Rao. "If you know where she is, and that she's in danger, why don't you go and get her yourself?"

"Don't question the Master!" Granny Goodness snapped. "Do as you're told!"

"While you stand here and question, Our Lady's life is in danger." Desaad coughed.

Whitney ignored them, blues on Rao, waiting for an answer.

"I am a busy man, Sanguine. I can not be expected to go traipsing after my inept daughter every time she does something she wasn't supposed to do and gets herself into trouble because of it." Rao clasped his hands behind his back. "Granny Goodness and Desaad will brief you on what has happened and how to get to the portal that will take you to the dimension that she has somehow managed to transport herself to without the key _or_ the intervention of two other witches. A feat which was supposedly impossible."

"Wait, she's in another _dimension_?" Whitney's eyes widened in horror.

"Yes." Rao's face went grave. "One I know all too well, and it is because of this that I can assure you that you should hurry or you'll grow more accustomed to the taste of her blood."

That's when realization hit Whitney like a ton of bricks.

Somehow, Chloe had managed to get herself stuck in Rao's prison, the Shadow Realm.

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**TBC**


	81. The Ace of Clubs

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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"Where do they think they're sneaking off to at this time of the night?" Lana wanted to know, frowning as she watched Faye Chamberlain and Diana Meade tiptoe out the back door, the girls dressed in black wearing _way_ too much black makeup, looking a bit like raccoons, as they hurried away from the house. "Do they really think it's time to go to a party?" Lana shook her head. "I'm going to go and-"

"Let them be." Pete stopped her, grabbing her arm.

Lana turned towards him, her expression surprised. "But Pete, Chloe's with that, that, that _guy_." She moved towards her boyfriend, cupping his face, knowing how much he was suffering and how little everyone seemed to care. "Those girls shouldn't be partying at a time like this!"

"Lana, they might need to get rid of the stress they have." Pete sighed, pulling her close, resting his forehead against her heartbeat. "The gods know that _I_ do."

Lana blushed at having him so near, even as her heart broke at having him so vulnerable and broken. "Tell me what I can do to help. I'll do anything."

"Just the fact that you're here helps more than you can understand," Pete whispered, hands on her hips, his voice soft. "It's past midnight and yet you're still here with me despite how indecent your aunt keeps telling you it is every time she calls you on the phone." His grip tightened on her hips. "I don't think I would have been able to survive any of this without you. I _know_ I wouldn't have been able to take what happened in France if you hadn't been there."

Lana sighed, head lowering. "Let's be honest, Pete. If it wasn't for me, France wouldn't have happened."

"Don't say that." Pete frowned.

"It's true." Lana looked away. "I'm the one who wanted to go there, to dig into my family's roots there and yours as well, in addition to… well, you already know. It's where this all started. If we hadn't started digging, we wouldn't have caught his attention and none of this would have happened."

"We had no way of knowing that this would happen," Pete stressed.

"But it happened and it's because of me." Lana pulled away. "And that's something I'm going to have to deal with." She licked her lips. "Clark and Jake should have been back already, shouldn't they?"

Pete frowned at her before his gaze went to the clock. "You're right. They should have."

"I hope that something hasn't happened to them." Lana worried her bottom lip.

"I'm sure they're fine." Pete stood, going to the window and looking out in the direction that Faye and Diana had headed in before turning and picking up the burnt half-remains of the Balcoin Book of Spells, giving a little groan when he realized that the book was regenerating itself and wondering if he should give it another go or if he should just leave it alone. "I don't know why I'm doing this. Why did I accept to be the First? I don't _want_ to be the First. No one _wants_ me to be the First. Not even the damned _book_!"

"_Language_," Lana whispered, coming to Pete and wrapping her arms around him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, resting her cheek to his chest. "You can _do_ this, Pete. You were _born_ to do this."

"I was the Secondborn. I was _obviously_ not born to do this," Pete grumbled. "We had our plans all set. We'd become a part of your Circle, just like our parents had before us. Everything would be so _simple_. So perfect."

"Chloe obviously was born to be a part of Rao Darkseid's Circle, Pete. Which means you _were_ born to do this," Lana corrected. "And anyway, who says we can't be in the same Circle?" She caressed his chest, trailing her fingers down his heartbeat. "Just instead of me adding you into _my_ Circle, you add me into _yours_."

Pete froze. "You – you'd do that?"

"Why not?" she whispered, keeping her cheek pressed against his chest.

"Because you're the only heir to the Thoreaux Circle!" Pete whispered back. "I couldn't ask you to put your family's Circle in jeopardy like that!"

"Well, my aunt is still young enough, and as Greg likes to point out, she has a penchant for those low cut shirts," Lana announced. "I'm sure if she really tries, she could have a couple of children of her own to continue on the Thoreaux lineage and make sure that the line doesn't die out with me." She took in a deep breath. "What matters to me, Pete, is being with you. That's all."

Pete didn't react at first, and then he grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her to face him. "That's all that matters to me too." He smiled. "Join my Balcoin Circle. Be my first official member."

Lana smiled, reached up and cupped his face, kissing him deeply before pulling away and resting her cheek against his rapidly beating heartbeat.

"You've made me see the light, Lana. I've been looking at this as a burden. I've been given this opportunity and I have to take it, make it mine. To really be able to help Chloe, I have to truly assume the position she's given me, and to do so, I have to bind the Circle. But to be able to bind a Circle, I need to actually have enough people in the Circle to bind it." Pete held her closely. "You've inspired me, Lana. As soon as they come back, I'll ask Clark and Jake to become a part of my Circle, and I'll ask Greg as well. That leaves a spot open, maybe one of my brothers or sisters might stop hating me for a second and join, maybe Byron." He grinned brightly, filled with hope for the first time. "If we can do this, if we can bind the Patriarch Circle, we can grow strong enough – we can have a chance in this upcoming war, and we can fight this monster and get Chloe back." He held Lana tighter, pressing an adoring kiss to the top of her head. "Now that you're in this with me, helping me, inspiring me, advising me, I know that nothing can go wrong."

"Exactly," Lana whispered, her lips curling in a smile as she stared ahead of her. "Everything's perfect."

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"How do you even know about where this event is taking place?" Diana wanted to know, hugging herself, the sound of their high heels loud, echoing off the walls of the alleyway as they walked alone in the darkness. They'd hailed a cab after escaping the house not that long after midnight and Diana wasn't exactly feeling safe or happy with where they were, the girls in a seedy district of Metropolis heading towards a place called The Ace of Clubs. It looked like any other club and the people heading towards it looked like any other people, Diana feeling like some evil-princess wannabe for her clothes and makeup, and right now wanted to throttle Faye for her suggestions because they were _not_ fitting in with the people who were trying to get in. Still, she stuck close to Faye, who didn't seem at all concerned with anything that was going on.

"Unlike _some_ people, I'm not just content to stay sitting by a window crying and worrying. I'm more proactive than that." Faye sniffed, flinging her hair behind her shoulder as she eyed the people around her, obviously trying to figure something out. "Yep. You." She turned to Diana. "Follow me and don't say a word. Let me do all the talking." Taking in a deep breath, Faye raised her chin and squared her shoulders before completely bypassing the large and burly bouncer by the front door, instead moving towards a tiny, seemingly nondescript guy leaning against the corner of the building playing something on his phone, only looking up from the screen at random intervals. Faye licked her lips as she came to stop in front of the tiny guy, giving him a little smirk. "So, we're not here for the tourist attraction." She rubbed her hands together in mock fervor. "Where's the _real_ event taking place?"

The guy looked up at her, eyebrow raised. "You smoking something?"

Diana blushed, embarrassed. "Faye, he doesn't know anything."

Faye ignored her, leaning forwards, slamming her palm against the wall next to the dude's head, the girl easily taller than him and using it to try and intimidate him. "I don't think you heard me, Tiny Tim."

"Tiny Tim. Real original, lady." He rolled his eyes, gaze going back to his game.

Faye's eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips, yanking the phone from him and holding it up high above his head. "You going to be more helpful or you wanna jump for it?"

"_Faye_!" Diana cried out in mortification.

"Look, I don't know what's crawled up your skirt, _bitch_, but I don't know what the hell-" the guy started.

The sound of something breaking caused Diana and "Tiny Tim" to both turn their widened eyes to the phone as it cracked in Faye's trembling hand, the young witch glaring darkly at the very short guy as she leaned in closer before slamming the hand with the cracked phone into the wall next to the guy's head. "I'm only going to ask you _one more time_."

"Really, Richard, are you _blind_?" a voice asked from behind them, the girls turning to see a man standing there. "I told you to make sure that the posers didn't make it in, _not_ to waste the time of not only genuine witches, but of someone who is family."

Diana's eyes widened in shock.

So did Faye's.

Richard was about to pee himself.

The man shook his head, disgusted as he came closer, gaze going to the girls. "Let me apologize for that, ladies, please don't hold it against the organization as a whole. There's a reason why people like him are left as _lackeys_." That last bit was thrown behind him at Richard, the man motioning the girls towards the side entrance which they hadn't noticed until he'd tapped the large garbage container three times with the side of his boot. "I am Bruno, but you may call me Ugly. This is my fine establishment." As the door closed behind them, an ultraviolet light came on, showering them, revealing an Omega symbol on his forehead.

Diana's eyes widened, a gasp escaping her lips, pointing at her friend. "Faye!"

"What?" Faye wanted to know, noticing Diana's expression. "Is there something on my face?"

Diana, noticing the reflective surfaces of the walls, grabbed Faye and swung her around, revealing the luminescent symbol of a winged serpent within a heptagon on her forehead.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Faye's eyes widened as she clawed at her forehead. "That wasn't there before!"

Bruno eyed them curiously. "Is this the first time you are seeing your mark then?"

"You can bet your tight butt it is!" Faye swung around to him. "So when you said family – you meant _me_?"

"Incredible. You were so blessed and you did not even _know_." He looked almost jealous. "Our Master has many different categories of servants, all of them faithful, all of them serving their own unique, important purpose, but prophets are one of the highest in regard. I wasn't lucky enough to be a prophet of Our Lord, as you are a prophet of Our Lady. I'm merely a host, but I'm still honored to be merely a host. We are forever tied to them." Bruno eyed Faye. "It was how My Master knew you would come to find us eventually. In His infinite wisdom, He had your picture circulated at our designated meeting points as He knew that your connection to Our Lady would draw you to us." The man paused. "It is only one of the added heightened abilities you are experiencing, is it not?"

Diana sent a look towards the other brunette. "Faye?"

Faye licked her lips. "So I wasn't imagining it."

"No, you were not. You are a prophet. Our Lady dwelled in your body; that leaves a permanent imprint." Bruno eyed her, the man very well spoken for a thug and ruffian. "A rare few of the hosts are affected by this possession and manifest a special ability, transforming them from mere hosts to prophets by displaying their unique abilities, which we call 'Prophecy', for it is one more revelation that ours is the right way and that we are sure to win; that the ancient gods _want_ us to win; that they are stacking the odds in our favor," Bruno replied, drawing to his full height. "You are to be taken to her immediately."

Faye straightened. "I am?"

"You are her prophet." Bruno frowned. "Your place is by her side, training with her. You form part of her Circle. If you are to be ready for war, you must start training with her and the sanguine immediately."

Faye's eyes widened, her lips parting. "_I'm a part of her Circle?_"

Bruno frowned darker. "Do you not know anything?"

Faye stared at Bruno in silence before suddenly screaming, the girl jumping up and down on her spike heeled boots, twirling her arms around in circles. "YES! YES! YES! _YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!_ **FINALLY**!" She gave a little twirl before stamping her foot and laughing, pulling a strand of dark hair out of her red face. "It was about _time__,_ damn it!"

Diana had to admit that, as she watched Faye celebrate childishly, the brunette rubbed her fading Eye of Ra design, feeling a just as childish bit of spite jolt through her.

Faye managed to somehow get a lid on her little burst, the girl grinning mischievously as she clasped her hands behind her back and moved towards Bruno. "So, when do I leave?"

"_We_." Diana frowned, eyes narrowed.

Faye rolled her eyes. "Right. _We_."

"You will be taken to her," Bruno announced before his gaze turned to Diana. "There is no reason for this potential initiate to be taken to her as well."

"No reason?" Diana hissed.

Faye leaned closer to her, voice hissed. "_Let me handle this_."

"_I will __**not**__ be left behind_," Diana warned.

Faye sent her a little look before taking in a deep breath and smiling at Bruno, dimple deep. "_Bruno_, you know what the message being sent to the Six right now is? It's that their reign, their time, is _up_. They've been judged and found wanting. They've paddled up shit creek and they're about to get their paddles taken away from them, buster," Faye announced, hands on her hips, expression all business, chin raised. "The best way to show this is to allow me to bring her along."

"And how is this?" Bruno wanted to know, arms folded over his chest.

"You don't seem to realize that this is Diana Balcoin, one of the very few surviving members of the small yet powerful and respected Balcoin clan. When Chl – Our Lady – was the Balcoin Firstborn, Diana was her Eye and as such, she held a high position. She's _known_." Faye let her words sink in before continuing. "How better to show that the Six are destabilizing than for one of their own to take the mark?" Faye wanted to know, grabbing Diana by her shoulders and turning her to face the man, seeing Bruno's eyes narrow on Diana. "I doubt you have many of the _core_ members of the Six, of the _inner_ Houses and Circles in the Clans, willing to leave their positions to join your cause." Faye drew closer, lowering her voice to a tempting whisper, obviously trying to sell Diana as an asset to the man. "Think of the _message_ it will send when the news hits." Her hazels met his. "It says: 'You're not just losing your lackeys to us, you're losing your inner core as well. You're not as secure as you think you are. You should beware'."

Bruno frowned, obviously contemplating her words as he stared at Diana.

"In that case, here, you've got another. She wasn't a position-holding Circle member but she's a Balcoin nonetheless," a familiar voice announced, surprising the girls into twirling around. Greg appeared in the shadows, Cassie by his side. "If there's a train, cab, plane or even _elevator_ going to wherever Chloe is, we want to be there."

"Ah, the Cyclops," Bruno announced, eyeing Greg. "I wondered when you would make your presence known. We have been expecting you."

"Cyclops?" Faye blinked.

"Who you calling names, _Ugly_?" Greg glared, stepping out into the light menacingly, fists narrowed.

Faye's eyes widened.

Diana's lips parted.

Cassie, who'd been walking next to Greg, gasped as she jumped away from him. "Greg!"

"_What_?" He turned to her.

Cassie pointed wordlessly behind him.

Greg frowned, turning towards where she was pointing, eyes widening when they fell upon the reflective surface of the wall, seeing the shining symbol betrayed by the magical light in the room. His defensive posture completely fell away, his shoulders sagging as the boy completely turned to face the wall. "Oh, you've _got_ to be joking."

"You too, huh?" Faye moved to Greg's side, folding her arms over her chest, the two of them eyeing their reflections in the walls, the symbol of the winged serpent inside a heptagon glowing brightly on their forehead. "I wonder how long it's been there and we just haven't known, you know? I mean, I haven't done the whole swearing into the Circle thing like you have so I couldn't even use that as a timeline." She grinned. "This is _so cool_."

Diana turned her dark gaze on Cassie, finding her younger sister's blue gaze on Greg and Faye, on their marks, the blonde frowning and looking just as unhappy as Diana felt.

"It isn't a _fashion_ accessory." Bruno scolded Faye. "It is an honor. Treat that mark with the respect it deserves. You do not see the Cyclops disrespecting his."

Faye turned to Greg and rolled her eyes.

It suddenly hit Diana hard, the brunette taking a step backwards. "_Cyclops_."

Greg turned his head towards her. "I don't-"

"Don't you get it? There were never _two_ Eyes-as in the Balcoin position in the Circle." Diana whispered, hurrying over to Greg and grabbing his palm, turning it over to reveal his Eye symbol. She then turned her palm over and placed it next to his. Their Eye symbols were completely different, not to mention that while her symbol was horribly faded, his was still vibrant. "Your design, the All Seeing Eye, refers to the Cyclops as it only has _one_ eye so it would see _all_ through that one eye!" Her brown gaze met Greg's. "The reason why your Eye hasn't faded and mine has is because I connected to her Balcoin magic while-"

"I connected to her Darkseid magic," Greg whispered, shocked.

"Is that even possible?" Cassie asked, coming close, eyeing the two Eyes.

"It's right in front of us, isn't it?" Faye pointed out, giving a little smirk. "As I said before: this is so _cool_."

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Diana suddenly thought of something, eyeing them. "How did you even know about this place?"

"Yeah." Faye blinked, eyeing Greg. "You weren't ever possessed by Chloe so you couldn't have felt the energy of this place like I did, so that can't be it."

Cassie and Greg exchanged a look before the blonde cleared her throat, answering as her blue gaze went to Diana. "Adam called me. He told me what you told him and he was worried, said he wanted me to come over and talk to you, wanted me to make sure that he'd managed to talk you out of doing anything stupid." The blonde looked away. "He said that, how you talked, he was worried that you might actually do something, so he wanted me to make sure you actually didn't have any information to act on. I told Greg."

"And instead of doing as Adam asked you to, you two decided to use me as bait," Diana realized, hugging herself.

At least Cassie had the grace to look ashamed. "We saw you and Faye sneaking away and followed."

"So if we had ended up getting raped and sacrificed to some pagan god would you have even made an effort to step in and help or would you have waited to see what happened?" Diana felt catty, it was a bad night.

"Don't get all high and mighty with me!" Cassie snapped. "It's not like you even _thought_ about inviting me!"

"To the gang rape?" Greg asked Faye. "Or the ritualistic murder?"

Faye rolled her eyes. "Don't encourage them."

"_Enough_." Suddenly the shadows in the room seemed suffocating, the teenagers turning towards Bruno, finding his eyes midnight black, his voice a different tone all together. "Personally, I couldn't care less if you tore each other apart, but two of you are a part of my daughter's Circle and the other two are her sisters – and powerful witches in your own right." It was then that they realized that Rao Darkseid had taken possession of Bruno sometime during their argument, the teenagers going stiff, eyes wide. "There has been an incident involving Chloe."

"Is she okay?" Diana stepped forwards, worried to hell, rubbing her ever-fading eye. "I've been feeling something horrible. Even though our connection is so dull, I can feel something's _really_ wrong."

He eyed her in displeasure. "Something _is_ wrong." He took in a deep breath. "She has somehow managed to find herself trapped somewhere in which I cannot get her out of, and the longer she stays there, the lesser the chance I have at getting her out alive." The man paused, obviously hating doing this. "I sent in the sanguine but he is not strong enough to do this alone. I would send in more of my own faithfuls but for this mission, she needs someone with a – personal connection." His inky black eyes narrowed on them. "That is where you four come in."

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"I'm not here for a fight," Lex Luthor announced, hands in his pockets, not even paying attention to the witches on the defense, instead his blues were trained on Virgil Swan. "I am only here to talk to you. Nothing more, nothing less." He could feel Tess and Oliver tense at his side, but as he'd told them, neither of them were one the defensive either, even though they'd been tortured by these people in the past. "We know that the Seventh is free – everyone knows that – and that the reason you betrayed my father is because _he_, Janus and John were behind Rao Darkseid's freedom." Lex could see the hardening around Virgil's eyes soften slightly. "I know there is much more to this than meets the eye. I know that there is a war looming over all our heads. I know that we are _not_ prepared for it." He stepped forwards towards Virgil. "I know that we have no chance in hell."

"Where are Davis and Jason?" Virgil looked around curiously. "Are they hiding somewhere waiting to attack once I let my guard down?"

"No, I've left them in Smallville," Lex replied, unhappy. "I am beginning to doubt their loyalties so I chose to leave them behind." He gave the man a nasty little smile. "The last time one of my Circle went rogue, the magical community was nearly decimated, so you have to understand my hesitance."

"My daughter did what she did to try and _save_ us all." Virgil frowned, coming to Patricia's defense. "Had our plan worked, none of this would be happening now. War would not be at our doorsteps. John's plan would have saved us all. It would have killed many innocents but it would have saved the magical community as a whole." Virgil raised his chin. "It was a sacrifice we were prepared to make."

Lex shook his head. "Really noble of you, especially since you made sure you and your families would be the few that made it through everything alive, along with your allies."

"How could you just plan to let us die like that, Virgil?" Tess asked softly, shaking her head. "You knew us since we were kids. You watched us grow up."

Virgil's gaze went to her. "I'm sorry, my dear, it was nothing personal, be sure."

"You were going to kill her whole direct family line and it wasn't going to be personal?" Oliver snapped.

"Oh, no, not _every_ one of Lionel's children were going to die." Virgil snorted. "The boy John raised would live and the Luthor magic through him and the few others who'd been chosen."

Lex froze.

Tess' eyes widened.

It was Oliver that spoke. "_What_? Lionel has _another_ kid?"

Lex narrowed his eyes, bringing his hand to his forehead, mind going to Mikhail Balcoin and Lucas Dunleavy. Mikhail Balcoin had been the only child to be raised by John Balcoin and Lucas had been raised alongside him. Lucas. L. Lex. Lutessa. Julian's first name was Lucian but he refused to use that name.

He then thought about the deal he'd made with Chloe that day and thought about the way she'd made sure to name his siblings and it hit him hard. She'd _known_ that Lucas was his brother. _That_ was why she'd made sure to name which sibling she'd side with him against! She _knew_! Which meant _Lucas_ probably knew.

"It doesn't matter now though," Virgil lamented. "It was all for nothing." He hung his head. "Rao is building his army, and if rumors can be believed, he has the girl now. He's won already."

"Well, with that sort of attitude no wonder." Oliver snorted, shivering. "Makes me feel ashamed to have been tortured by your side."

Tess shook her head at her boyfriend before turning her attention to the man. "What girl does he have?"

"Oh you haven't heard," Virgil announced, shaking his head. "Chloe Balcoin has disappeared. There's all sorts of rumors as to _how_, but the most prevalent is that _he_ has her. All I _do_ know is that some half-brother of hers is the First now, although he doesn't seem to be doing the best of jobs considering that most of the siblings have moved out of the house. We have contacts in that house, we should have concrete information, but since things have happened, we haven't had any information coming from our contacts."

"How can he be the First if she's still alive?" Lex frowned, stepping forwards. "That isn't done."

"That's not the most important thing right now." Virgil shrugged. "What's most important is that we're all dead anyway." The man motioned his men to stand down. "So it doesn't really matter if you're here to kill us."

Lex frowned. "You can't really believe that."

"I do." Virgil began walking away. "Better to die by your hand than his."

Lex couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. "You must have had hope, faith, once upon a time."

"That was a long time ago, and that was the culmination of many years' worth of planning with John Balcoin, who is the only person who would know what we'd need," Virgil mumbled over his shoulder. "Forget anything you're thinking right now. His two psychotic daughters sucked the life out of him and doomed us all."

Lex shared a look with his sister and her boyfriend before clearing his throat. "Tell me all you know anyway."

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"Thanks for letting us meet over here, man." Mikhail slapped Clark's back as he and Lucas bounded up the last steps, meeting the other three boys in the loft in the barn.

"No problem." Clark smiled, shaking hands with Lucas. "When you guys said you wanted to meet away from the place and without Pete or Lana knowing, I, well, I'm a little wary and confused but, well, here we are." He leaned against the railing, eyeing the group, which consisted on the newly arrived boys plus Jake, Byron and Adam. "So, what's up?"

Jake cleared his throat, leaning forwards. "We don't want this to feel like an ambush, but we wanted to separate you from Lana and Pete for a while."

Clark nodded slowly. "Okay…"

"Thing is, we get the whole huddling together for safety thing, it's how we survive after traumatic experiences," Jake assured him. "But for what we want to try, we need you alone so you don't try to latch onto them for comfort, even if subconsciously. We want you open and vulnerable."

"Dude, you sounded like a creepy rapist right then." Lucas made a face at him.

Jake glared at him.

Byron snorted in amusement.

Adam stepped in. "What Jake is trying to say is that I would like to try use my ability on you to see if I can jog any memory that might help us in any way."

Clark's eyes widened, straightening, feeling less wary and more interested. "I thought you could only show people things _you_ have gone through and not see other people's memories."

"In theory it should work both ways, but I've never actually been able to do it," Adam admitted.

"Which is why you need me open and vulnerable." Clark understood, nodding. "So you can ease inside me and poke in deeper."

"_Dude_… I see your point." Mikhail shivered, turning to look at Lucas. "I got a visual and everything."

"Me too." Lucas made a face, appearing traumatized. "It was _nasty_."

"Right." Adam was apparently ignoring Mikhail and Lucas, focusing on Clark. "Let's do this."

Clark nodded. "Let's."

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**TBC**


	82. Memory Lane

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Glancing behind her, Chloe couldn't see anything but she didn't trust her eyes, not after what had just happened. The teenager pushed on, her feet bare after having lost her remaining shoe sometime during her latest scuffle, the bottom of her feet cut and bleeding but she ignored the pain as she continued. There was something following her in this place, something that she couldn't see but _feel_. It was stronger than anything else inside this realm and it was after her with a vengeance. She didn't know what it was, but it wanted her blood, it wanted her pain, it wanted her _everything_. It terrified her more than any other monster she'd seen so far. Her magic seemed useless against it, even her shield had faltered against it, the blonde vulnerable to its attacks and only able to continually flee throughout this vast wilderness of nightmares and shadows. Whenever she stopped for a moment or two to try and catch her breath, she'd feel it closing in on her and would push on despite how tired or in pain she was, the girl pushing back the desire to cry because she knew what it was doing.

It was tiring her. It really wasn't putting up a true chase. Whatever this thing was, it was exhausting her. Once she collapsed, too tired to run, it'd pounce on her then, and that was when it'd make it's _true_ move, and she'd be too exhausted to defend herself.

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"Damn it, Chloe! _Wake up_!" Whitney banged against the barrier with all he had, and yet he couldn't get through, the Quarterback twirling around as the sound of a roar echoed somewhere in the shadows. His eyes narrowed, fists clenched. It was probably that creature with the spikes on its spine again; it had been circling around a couple of times. Considering that it was always twilight in this dimension, the witch wasn't exactly sure how long he'd been here, especially since it'd taken him awhile to locate Chloe, but it felt like he'd spent weeks trying to break through the bubble of darkness surrounding the unconscious girl floating inside. What he didn't understand, though, is how things could emerge out of the bubble but he couldn't go inside.

Something shifted in the dark fog surrounding the shadow bubble, the large and vicious creature formed before apparently finally deciding to make its move as it stepped forward.

Whitney moved on instinct, raising his hands high above his head. "_Flames, burn back our path_." He then used the momentum and slammed his hands palms down on the ground, flames erupting as it encircled Whitney and the bubble with Chloe, flames burning high, closing off the path of the creature who roared loudly in displeasure, pacing on the other side of the flames.

The creature moved closer, testing the flames. Whitney narrowed his eyes and the earth next to the creature exploded, sending it flying backwards with a screech.

Chloe cried out.

_"No." _Whitney's eyes widened, twirling around to face her, seeing the girl's eyes open wide before rolling into the back of her head, her body arched abnormally. "Not again." He slammed his fists desperately into the side of the shadow bubble. "Stop it!" Tears of blood began to fall from her eyes and he could taste metal in his mouth. "Wake up, Chloe! WAKE UP!"

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Adam had known that it would be hard but he'd been training with his family at home; it hadn't only been family fun in the Tentagel House. Still, as he sat opposite Clark with his palm on the boy's forehead and the knowledge Jake had received from Greg that Clark, Pete and Lana had been washed (almost) clean by a Wiper… This was still much more of a challenge than he had expected. It didn't help that the pressure was on tenfold. There was the fact that Chloe (who had done so very much for him) was basically being held hostage, that the ever sweet Diana was considering going dark side, and that all these guys were expecting him to perform miracles while breathing down his neck. Adam took in a deep breath and concentrated harder, trying to find the pieces that were left.

There was nothing coherent, nothing left to be put together. It was as if something had taken a film reel and had cut up most of it, throwing it away while only leaving little odd bits and pieces of it behind. But he was searching to see if maybe they'd forgotten the negatives. Or maybe impressions had been left somewhere. Maybe. Somehow. He didn't know.

His attempt at trying to find out any information on where exactly they were being kept and who Wiped them was useless. Adam was about to give up when something Jake had told him about Greg's dreams made him pause. They'd been keeping Greg's repeated dreams a secret from the others for various reasons. One of those reasons was that they weren't too sure that they could actually really trust the trio. It was harsh to say that, but they'd been under Rao Darkseid's thumb for longer than anyone really knew and who couldn't say for sure whether they'd been infected or converted? Who knew for sure whether they weren't unknowingly, or knowingly even, working for him? If they _were_ working for Darkseid, having their memories removed of this would be very convenient, wouldn't it?

Adam paused, clearing his throat. Only he, Jake and Greg (well, and Cassie now, he supposed) knew of the dreams Greg was having, about the Skype session that never happened, and they couldn't help but wonder if those memories had been removed from the trio as well or if they were in on the plan. And the thing was, if they asked the trio then they'd be giving away the fact that they knew insider information, so they couldn't. It was a no-win situation.

So instead, Adam fished inside of Clark's head, keeping him away from the safety Lana and Pete afforded him, trying to figure out what secrets the trio might have, and if they, or at least Clark Kent, posed a threat to Chloe.

Suddenly that triggered something, Adam finding himself inside flung into some sort of a backdoor entrance into Clark Kent's memories.

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She stood on the top of a cliff with nowhere to run, and that presence, that invisible something, standing in front of her. She could feel its rank breath on her face; it smelt like death. A growl echoed around her, it nudged her closer towards the edge of the cliff.

"_No_," she whispered, looking back, seeing the edge which seemed to fall into eternity.

Something slashed her back, eight claw marks drawing blood.

What had eight claws?

Chloe cried out, staggering backwards, ever closer to the edge. "No!" She held out her palms towards the general direction of whatever this was, but her magic did nothing, the blonde crying, finding it _hurt_ to do so. She brought her hands to her eyes and brought them back up to find them covered in blood. "_What's happening to me_?"

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Whitney watched the blood-covered butterfly as it climbed out of Chloe's mouth, the girl having gone limp for now. The butterfly was unlike any earthly counterpart, its wings dripping with blood, baring dragon eyes as they fluttered, drying, the creature moving so that it was resting on her lips so that her breath bathed it. As the wings dried, they began to metamorphose, becoming jagged, splitting and curling out, hardening into scales. The butterfly took flight as it emerged from the bubble of darkness and crossed over the ring of flames into the fog right as its body began to shift, transforming into something monstrous.

The teenager frowned, pressed his back against the bubble, seeing the darkness grow in the mass in the fog on the other side of the flames. The creatures were accumulating, gathering. "Chloe, you've _really_ got to _stop_ that."

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Something was happening: Adam and Clark both swayed before righting themselves, Adam's hand on Clark's forehead glowing slightly as his power strengthened.

Jake leaned closer.

Byron chewed his thumbnail, obviously very nervous. While everyone had taken Chloe's departure badly, Byron had taken it worse because he blamed himself considering she'd traded herself for his cure. He was the most invested in getting his sister back, and while that made him an excellent soldier, that also made him somewhat of a loose cannon Jake had to keep a close eye on.

Lucas and Mikhail received a text message, the two silently excusing themselves, leaving the loft.

Jake watched them go before returning his gaze to Adam and Clark.

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It was just her, the edge, and that thing.

Chloe shivered in terror, bleeding, not knowing what to do as she clutched at the Balcoin necklace John had given her, the one Vika Balcoin had been wearing in the portrait she'd seen in Rao's study. Unlike so many other times when she'd been in trouble, it was now cold, useless, _lifeless_ on her chest.

Something chuckled dark in her ear, guttural, and then something cold entered her, and all went black.

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Adam Knight found himself at the Talon, surprised to see himself here and a little disoriented at first, but the raised voices drew his attention to the group standing around the living area.

"What do you _mean_ we can't tell Chloe and that we have to stay away from her?" Clark Kent frowned, eyes narrowed at Nell Potter.

"We're not going to do that." Pete Ross shook his head. "She's our best friend. I don't care what's happened to us and the fact that this place almost became the next Salem. She won't turn on us because of what we are now. We are _not_ going to turn on her. She-"

"She's _one_ of you." Nell stopped their argument with those four words. "It's _because_ of that that you cannot tell her that you are witches, and why you cannot be friends with her, for now."

"You're making no sense." Clark made a face, stepping forwards. "If Chloe's a witch as well, then we should tell her. We should-"

"No." Nell shook her head. "There have been instances where people with her temperament who find out this way enter into a sense of denial and block their ability and we _need_ her to manifest. She's a part of Lana's Circle."

"Fine." Pete frowned. "We won't tell her. We let her find out on her own like we did. That doesn't mean we have to stop being friends with her."

Nell sneered. "Have you two _ever_ been able to keep a secret from her? She'll figure it out immediately, freak out, and subconsciously throw up barriers left, right and center, destroying any chance of this Circle _ever_ being formed. _No_. You will do as I say: you will remove yourselves from her life and let her powers awaken on their own." Her gaze rested on the boys. "This is for Chloe's own good. Stop being so selfish."

Clark looked away, clenching his fists.

Pete did the same.

**-V-**

The scene blurred and changed to Chloe's old bedroom, the one in her old house. Clark climbed in through the second floor window and paced the floor, rubbing his hands nervously as the sound of a shower running could be heard. The boy kept mumbling to himself, practicing something, obviously worried and kept gazing back from the bathroom to the window, almost as if second guessing himself and about to throw himself out of the window before manning up and keeping himself inside.

"You can do this, Clark," the boy whispered to himself. "She's your best friend, has been since you were a kid. She'll forgive you even though you've been a rotten, horrible person who just out of the blue abandoned her and left her out in the cold for a group she thinks are a creepy teenage cult who probably sacrifice virgins on the full moon." He seemed to get even more nervous than reassured though, running his fingers through his hair. "Maybe I should have just gone for the flowers approach like Pete suggested."

Except he didn't really think Chloe would forgive them with just an attack of the floral kind tomorrow at school.

It was why he was staging this desperate home invasion.

Taking in a deep breath, Clark squared his shoulders. This was something he had to do. He had to prove to Chloe that there was a good reason. That they really _were_ witches – that _she_ really was a witch. Yes. He wasn't leaving here until she was convinced.

"_Clark_?" Her voice was a squeak, a barely contained scream, the girl having just come out of the bathroom in a huge, old t-shirt and had obviously been shocked to find him there.

He turned around at the sound of her voice, sheepish. "Uhm, hi."

**-V-**

Adam now found himself in Potter's Potts with Clark, Diana and Chloe. Clark was concentrating, a glowing ferret seated on the table top, transparent and ghostly, yet glowing and sparkling brilliantly.

Clark seemed quite proud of himself, not so disparaging about this ability anymore. "Mom says that the creature will be different for everyone."

"So it really is like a Patronus." Chloe couldn't and wouldn't stop herself from geeking as she reached out slowly and caressed the top of the ferret's head, feeling her Balcoin symbol tingle as the nearly transparent ferret's colors began changing. "Whoa."

Clark's eyes widened and he gulped loudly.

"You need to teach me this spell," Diana gushed, reaching out to pet the ferret's back.

As soon as her scarred hand touched the ferret, Chloe could feel their magics intertwining and suddenly the ferret took a life of its own, body growing and contorting until it was larger and more muscular and its eyes were raging red.

Both girls removed their hands immediately, the creature's body quickly returning back to normal, the ferret blinking innocently at them.

Clark must have lost all concentration because the ferret disappeared and the boy shook his head, bringing his hand to it. "What was that?"

Chloe and Diana exchanged looks before the blonde held out of palm to Clark. "I think it was these."

Diana tapped her own scarred palm. "What exactly did we do?"

"I need to sit down." Clark seemed almost woozy as he pulled up a chair and collapsed onto it, resting his head hard on the counter.

Chloe and Diana exchanged worried looks before going on either side of the boy. "Are you okay?"

"I – I felt – _wow_." Clark seemed a little disoriented, his voice strained. "That was a physical manifestation of my magic and your magics – _wow_."

"We might have broken him." Diana sent Chloe a nervous little look.

"I'm fine," Clark assured, still not lifting his head from the counter. "It's just – I think I got an overload surge from your magics mingling with mine. _Whooo_!" He finally lifted his head, shaking it a little, still seeming somewhat woozy. "I feel a little tipsy right now."

"I'll get you some water." Diana slipped away to the back room.

Adam frowned, stepping closer, but immediately the scene began to change.

**-V-**

Once again, the background shifted and Adam found himself back at the Kent's but this time behind the barn watching Whitney and Clark tend to the cattle. The two teenagers were talking about things that had happened recently, Whitney being filled in.

"Married?" Whitney choked on his water during a quick break.

"That's what Melissa said Gabe told them." Clark eyed the shell shocked look on his friend. "It's why you can sense her when something is up." He chuckled, slugging the blonde. "Don't worry. Melissa also said that Gabe mentioned that if Chloe binds other people to her Circle who aren't blood, that the magic will slowly get that that isn't the case with you two and that she's just being weird, even by Balcoin standards."

"I'm never going to let her live this down," Whitney promised, slowly seeing the humor in this whole situation.

Clark grinned, admittedly feeling a little evilly amused at the thought of the future teasing Chloe was going to suffer. "Just don't let her know I'm the one who told you!"

The Quarterback chuckled, shaking his head, putting down the container of water as he got back to work. "Don't worry, I've learnt from the best. I don't reveal my sources."

Clark eyed the blonde thoughtfully, shaking his head as he took continued working. "You know, I still can't get my head around it, you know?"

"Around what?" Whitney asked curiously, wiping at his forehead.

"You two used to _hate_ each other, you remember that right?" Clark could still picture those days clearly in his head.

"I wouldn't say we _hated_ each other." Whitney made a face. "But we didn't like each other, I'll give you that."

Clark nodded, figuring that the other boy was right about that since hate was a really strong word. "Think about it, if it wasn't for magic, you never would have become friends."

Whitney frowned slightly, sending Clark a little look as his golden eyebrows touched in thought.

"Funny how life is, huh?" Clark chuckled, dismissing the idea and humming happily as he got back to work.

Whitney remained standing there a little longer, a small frown on his face, before he slowly followed suit.

**-V-**

Clark stepped off of the plane, staring at his palm, highly disturbed.

The winged serpent tattoo on his palm had disappeared.

What did that mean? Were the Trials over maybe? Or had he forfeited his right to the tattoo when he'd left?

"Clark!" Pete's voice jerked him out of his thoughts and he turned to his waving friend and smiled, deciding to call back home and see what was going on as soon as they got to wherever it was they'd be staying.

"Pete!" Clark hurried towards him. "What's going on, man! You said it's life and death but back home-"

"I'm sorry, Clark. I know I'm probably the worst friend ever but it's Lana." Pete grabbed Clark's arm, looking around him in worry, walking him away from the airport, obviously worried that they were being watched. "She's been taken."

"What?" Clark frowned. "By who? Why? And why haven't you told Nell? The police? What's going on, Pete?"

"It's not only that, Clark. The guy who has her, he's after Chloe." Pete's words chilled Clark to the bone. "It's why I couldn't come out and tell you anything until you came here. He doesn't _know_ he's after her yet because he doesn't know who exactly he's after."

"You're confusing me." Clark stopped walking, yanking his arm out of Pete's hold. "What is going on?"

Pete looked around before drawing closer. "This guy, Clark, he's a _really_ bad guy. And he's looking for the Balcoin Firstborn, okay?"

Clark's eyes widened. "Lana."

"He'll get it out of her eventually if we don't get her back." Pete took in a deep breath. "Thing is, he has people watching me. If I contact people from back home, he'll find Chloe. I took a big enough risk contacting you but I had to take the chance. You're the only one I could count on."

"Why me?" Clark asked. "Why not Nell?"

"Because I trust you when it comes to _both_ of them," Pete whispered. "Not Nell."

Clark eyed Pete before smiling, reaching up to clasped his friend's shoulder. "We'll get her back."

Pete smiled, though he didn't look too sure.

**-V-**

They'd failed and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was captured as well. Clark had slipped into an internet cafe and logged onto one of the random computers there, desperately hoping that Chloe's editing skills would pick up the many errors in his email as a last ditch effort to warn her because once he was taken, if his mind was read, he didn't want them to be able to see him writing an outright warning. He'd tried to cleverly disguise it, and yet considering that he'd never been that great at his editing in his pieces for the Torch, a part of him feared that Chloe wouldn't really pay much attention to the errors. Still, he hoped that she'd stop and wonder at the many out of place punctuations as she read his _true _message to her:

**YOU ARE IN DANGER BE READY**

It was after leaving the cyber cafe and sending this message that Rao Darkseid's men finally caught him.

**-V-**

Adam gasped, stepping back from the edge, almost falling into an abyss. This memory was so shattered, it was literally broken. He clung to a part that remained intact, watching a woman that matched Greg's description of "Granny Goodness" circle a tied Clark, who hung from the ceiling, his ribs visible from obvious lack of food. The woman dressed like some sort of religious fanatic and seemed like anyone's sweet little grandmother, but there was evil in those eyes as she circled him.

"Why do you _resist_?" Granny asked, tutting, shaking her head. "Just tell us what we need to know. We know about the girl. We know she exists. She belongs to my Master." She brought her hand against Clark's chest, the boy gritting his teeth as her hands heated visibly, burning his skin. "Just talk, save yourself from this needless, thankless pain. I know you're thirsty, hungry, cold and scared. I know you miss your parents, that pretty girl you think about all the time. Melissa, is it?"

Clark glared at her.

Granny Goodness smiled at him. "Just give us what we need, give us the information on the girl, and you'll be free."

Clark stared into the woman's eyes. "No."

Granny's smile slipped before it returned full force. "Don't be foolish, my boy, listen to a wise old woman who only has your good at heart."

He shook his head.

"Fine. Have it your way." She sighed and whispered an incantation, his chains going black.

Clark closed his eyes tightly as he began to scream.

**-V-**

Clark opened his eyes, the boy weak and in pain from his seemingly endless rounds of torture, to find someone tugging on his bindings. His eyes widened, shocked to see who it was.

"_Melissa_?"

She gave him a little smile, bringing a finger to her mouth before letting him loose, the boy falling hard against her, dragging her to the ground in his weakened state. "What have they _done_ to you?"

"What are you doing here?" Clark whispered, horrified, terrified. "If they find you-!"

"It's okay," she whispered softly, looking around. "This is a rescue mission." The girl was so adorable he could burst if he wasn't about to faint from fatigue. "The others are close by right now. You're safe, don't worry. I just jumped the gun a little and came for you a little sooner than I should have, sorry, but we should be fine."

He gulped back so many emotions, reaching out to wrap his arms around her. "You have no idea have much I've thought about you in this hell hole."

"_Really_?" She sounded like she was smiling.

"It's your face – it's what's gotten me through everything. All the torture – _everything_." His voice broke as he held on.

"It's okay, Clark." Melissa rubbed his back. "Everything's okay now. You're safe." She then pulled away, eyeing Clark nervously. "You haven't told them about her though, right? You haven't told them where she is?"

"Of course not. I-" Clark paused, eyes narrowed. He stared at Melissa before his face broke and he looked away. "Get away from me."

"What?" Melissa whispered.

Clark turned to look at her. "No one knows we're here. No one's coming to rescue us."

Adam felt for the boy, but this was a memory and there was nothing he could do but watch as it unfolded before him.

Melissa's form wavered before disappearing.

"_Very_ good," a man declared, appearing from the shadows. "Do you understand how _rare_ it is for someone to see through my mental manipulations? Especially when I use Lust as a base? I can see what Granny was saying, you're a strong one."

"Don't dirty Melissa by impersonating her," Clark spat from where he sat on the ground. "No matter what you do, I won't tell you _anything_."

"It doesn't really matter." The young man smiled as he went to kneel in front of the battered boy. "You don't have to tell us anything anymore, we have all the information we need. This whole charade was only for fun."

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"We have a situation," Mikhail announced as they returned, Lucas passing Jake and Byron the phone. On it, Grant and Trent had sent them a couple of pictures from the pub they'd been having drinks in while on a stake out, the pictures clearing showing Faye and Diana being escorted into the "Ace of Clubs" by Bruno, and then Greg and Cassie sneaking in after them. The next picture showed the four teenagers being escorted from the club by Bruno and some of his top bouncers before the ceremony could even take place. Grant had said that he'd stayed behind to continue his stake out of the club while Trent was trying to follow the vehicle that the four had been shuffled into. Brendan was still inside the club itself.

"What the hell?" Jake frowned, keeping his voice low and drawing away from Clark and Adam so as not to interrupt what was going on between them.

Byron just stared at the picture, a blank expression on his face as he joined the other boys away from Adam and Clark. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know." Lucas shook his head. "But the fact that he didn't tell us can't be good."

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Jason Teague looked around the remains of the village which still bore the marks of the massacre that had only recently left it a ghost town, barren of any form of life. The American in a foreign land took in everything as both he and Davis walked slowly through the small village where Moira Sullivan had disappeared in before the bloodbath had taken place. It was a tiny village in a remote mountain area of Romania and Jason had to wonder exactly what Moira was doing here in the first place.

His mind flashed back to that night in his car, to the long and revealing conversation he'd had with Chloe, to the revelation that Moira had been controlled by someone else when she'd killed Gabe. So why, after grabbing her things, had the woman chosen to come _here_ of all places?

There had to be a reason.

"Jason," Davis was ahead of him, standing on the rise of a hill, "you need to see this."

Frowning, Jason hurried his pace and crested the hill, standing next to Davis, eyes widening. "What the hell?"

"Exactly what I was going to say." Davis nodded, wiping the back of his palm across his sweaty brow. "Chloe's mother was a wolf shifter, right?"

"Right." Jason nodded slowly.

"Well, this can't be a coincidence then," Davis mumbled. "I just… I don't know what the hell it could mean though."

As Jason stared at the hundreds of mutilated wolf carcasses lining the hills stretching before him, he had to admit that he didn't know what it meant either.

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**TBC**


	83. Unexpected Introductions

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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There was something else inside the fog.

It took him a while to realize it, but Whitney did. He wasn't sure what it was or how he could be so sure that this other figure wasn't just another of the monsters that seemed to have congregated in some sort of black mass around the circle of flames that was the only thing keeping them from attacking him and Chloe, but he was sure that there was something else out there. It was a different sort of being from the baser creatures, a much more intelligent one, watching and observing, calculating. He felt cold chills race down his spine, unconsciously taking a step backwards so that he was pressed against the bubble, both protectively and so that he could feel connected to the girl inside somehow, so that he could remind himself that he wasn't truly alone inside this hellhole.

Tasting blood, Whitney turned his head only slightly, hearing her cry as her body arched in a spasm once more, another blood covered butterfly crawling its way out of her mouth.

The boy narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist backwards into the bubble.

Suddenly, Chloe shot up into a sitting position and began to scream.

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"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Cassie wanted to know, pacing the room they'd been brought to before being brought up to speed on what had happened to Chloe since she'd been in Rao's "care". The youngest blonde Balcoin stared at Rao's host suspiciously. "How do we know that this isn't just some trap to get us stuck in your old prison so you can sit back and laugh with your buddies at how stupid we are?"

Rao, or well, _Bruno_, seemed highly annoyed. "I am in the middle of planning a war, little girl. I don't have the _time_ to play tricks."

"He has a point," Greg announced, hands folded over his chest.

"You're a part of his daughter's crew." Diana took Cassie's side on this. "He _wants_ you and Faye alive. Me and Cassie? Not so much."

"So if he wants Greg and me to go as well, it goes to show that this is probably not a trap," Faye reasoned, turning to Bruno, taking in a deep breath, lips twisted. "So you're saying she did a Legend of the Seeker but instead of just mentally moving, she physically did it."

He eyed her for a moment before nodding.

"Sorta like when Lionel was torturing me." Faye worried her bottom lip, turning to Greg. "We thought she was only able to teleport to where I was because it was her body and she was in mine… But if what he's saying is true, then it's an ability she has and she's just teleported into Alcatraz."

"How is that even possible? Wasn't all entry and exit from that place sealed tight?" Cassie wanted to know. "It took our father, Lionel Luthor _and_ Janus La Fay working together to open the lock long enough to sneak in to see you."

A muscle jumped in Rao's cheek. "That's something I would like to know myself."

The teenagers shared an uneasy look at that bit of information.

"Why doesn't she just teleport herself out?" Diana wanted to know, eyes narrowed on Rao. "From what we've been told about that place, it's some desolate place, right? If she can somehow bypass the security keeping people in and out of the place, then why is she still there? Why is Whitney having such a hard time getting her out? Why do you _need_ us to go in there to get her?"

Faye's eyes narrowed. "She's right. Adam's dad told us that the Shadow Realm was basically Solitary Confinement. A place where you could be by yourself and reflect on all you had done so you could change your ways and repent." She took a step forwards. "I know boredom can kill you, but you wouldn't send in reinforcements for that."

Cassie eyed Rao nervously. "What aren't we being told?"

Greg tilted his head, observing the host. "It isn't Solitary Confinement, is it? There _are_ other things there."

"I don't have to explain myself to a bunch of _children_," Rao hissed. "But I _will_ tell you this." He came closer, eyeing the four. "You think you know the truth, but you know _nothing_. About the _Six_. About _magic_. About _true_ _darkness. _About _any__thing_." His voice slowly changed, almost sounding demonic, his eyes shifting, his presence almost overwhelming, terrifying the teens as his pupils bled black and the whites went red. "The Shadow Realm, it's _far_ from Solitary Confinement as you were led to believe. It might seem that at first, but it's a gateway to innumerable nightworlds and once the darkness that resides there latches onto you…" He chuckled, his eyes, voice and energy returning to normal as he straightened his clothes and his hair. "It sucks out any light that might have ever existed, craving it for its own."

Diana's eyes widened.

Cassie stepped forwards. "_Chloe_."

"Fine." Faye tapped her foot against the floor. "You've obviously convinced them. So how do you send us to this hellhole, how do we find Chloe and Whitney, and how do we all get back here?"

An odd look crossed his gaze before he nodded. "I have the key that can open the rift to send you four there, and once you're in there, you'll easily find her. You have the prophet, you know her energy, and you have the cyclops, who can see." Rao stepped closer. "I will open the rift every day for three days. If I do not see you after the third day, I will not open it afterwards because if I do, more of those things will be attracted to the rift and will try to enter this world."

"So you'd trap us in that world without a way out," Greg announced.

"Without hesitation."

Greg eyed him before shrugging, secretly pressing send on the phone in his pocket. "Okay, just wanted clarification." He took in a deep breath, hoping that the phone wouldn't later come back with an error message saying that the recorded message was too long to send to Mikhail. "Let's get started."

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The bubble of darkness came down, but Whitney wasn't celebrating any time soon, the witch keeping his eyes narrowed on the petite girl standing numbly, staring unseeingly ahead of her. He cast a glance towards the fog around them before carefully making his way towards her. She looked as if she was in some sort of sleepwalking trance and yet Whitney highly doubted that that was what was happening here. He batted away the bloody butterflies still perched on her hair like morbid, living ornaments, before going to stand in front of her, the Quarterback bending down enough to stare into her eyes, seeing nothing in those greens. They were vacant. No one home.

Great. Just… great.

"Chloe?"

Nothing, not even a twitch.

Whitney risked cupping her face. She was horribly cold to the touch. "_Chloe_."

Nothing.

"Chloe, you can't just give in." He glared at her. "You've been through worse than this, you-!"

Suddenly one of the creatures roared, charging the fire, flying through the flames, its considerably large bulk coming crashing down on the unprepared witch.

As Whitney turned around, trying to put his hands up to try and protect them somehow, cursing himself for having let himself get so off-guard, his blues widened as the large monster froze mere inches from his face. The surprise was reflected in the monster's face as it stared down at him, trying to move, but couldn't, and then suddenly a roar of agony escaped it as large and deep slashes began to appear all throughout its body. The attack was brutal, vicious, the creature's intestines and organs dropping out of its body as it remained suspended in the air, the creature long dead before it dropped, causing the ground to tremble.

Whitney's eyes widened, wiping away the blood splatter from his face in confusion. "What the-?" He turned, trying to figure what had happened when he caught sight of Chloe, still seeming in the trance but her eyes now bled completely black.

Her lips were twisted in a little smile, blood splattered on her face.

Whitney frowned, turning to her. "Chloe?"

Again, no reaction, almost as if she didn't even know he was there.

His gaze went down to her palms, to where the Omega symbol was becoming more defined.

Chloe turned her back towards him, eyeing the fog.

"Chloe, please." Whitney made to go after her.

"I wouldn't do that," an unexpected voice announced.

"_Thank the gods._" Whitney closed his eyes in relief, turning around to see Chloe's mirror image, who was wearing a jumper dress and heels this time. "Where have you been?"

"Hey, it hasn't been easy for me either, you know." Scales frowned at him, hands on her hips. "Do you _know_ how hard it was before, having to deal with Francis' and John's magic still not a hundred percent joined to me? It's like dealing with two bitchy, opinionated old women _all the time_! At least with sleepy head dormant, I could deal with them, you know? But now that someone's gone and awoken _that_ sleeping dragon, I have been up to _here_ having to deal with complaints and mutiny and _a certain someone_ who thinks _they_ are the dominant power even though _I_ have _obviously_ been around here _much_ longer. I don't _care_ if her Balcoin symbols are gone, _I_ am not getting absorbed into someone else; _they_ are gonna get absorbed into _me_. I'M the accepted reflection for Odin's sake! ME! That means her _overall_ magic! Not just the Balcoin! _Someone_ is just going to have to accept that damned fact and stop being a damned whiny bitch!" She folded her arms over her chest and tapped her heels angrily. "So I do _not_ need _you_ adding to my problems, Whitney Fordman."

He backed down, he knew better than to make _any_ version of Chloe pissed off at him. "Sorry, didn't mean to."

She glared at him, before shaking her head. "I know that." Chloe's magic sighed. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"No problem." Whitney sighed, before frowning. "Why is there an issue about you getting absorbed though? Every witch who has two parents who are witches have two different magics in them. That shouldn't be an issue."

"It _is_ if you're the Firstborn of a Six." Scales ran her hand over her hair. "You represent that House, that Clan, not any other, so once you take on that responsibility…"

Whitney frowned. "I see."

"Yeah." Scales nodded. "So once Chloe's Darkseid magic fully awakens, both her Balcoin and Darkseid magic will become one and this Bitch and I are going to have a Battle Royale on our hands inside her to see who gets to remain as the reflection." She grinned. "It'll see that I'm the recognized power though. I'm totally gonna skin her ass and make myself some Jimmy Choos."

Whitney had to smile at her confidence. "I'm rooting for you."

"You better." Scales scoffed, before taking in a deep breath. "Because that's _her_ in charge right now and let's face it, she's not a full-functioning, well rounded human being. She's psychotic at best. I mean, look at her. She's got no style. No grace. No form."

Whitney turned to watch Chloe as the ink black eyed girl moved as close to the flames as she could possibly get without burning herself, staring past the fire at the monsters on the other side.

Chloe tilted her head to the left, then she tilted it to the right, then made as if to move into the flames before hissing and drawing back when the heat reminded her of their presence.

Scales sighed, shaking her head. "All brawn, no brains. This bitch is mine."

Chloe turned at that, the eyes going an even darker black that reflected Whitney and Scales' reflection to them. Her lips trembled, pulling apart slightly before closing in a sneer.

"Aw, can't figure out the controls yet, honeybun?" Scales taunted. "That's because she's not a puppet and you're not a grand puppeteer." She sauntered closer, hands on her hips. "You know, the _last_ magic that tried pulling the strings like this was Francis' and that did _not_ end up well for him, right Frankie? You'd know that if you weren't pulling a Sleeping Ugly."

Chloe's inky gaze went to Whitney, as if asking him what he was planning on doing about what had just been said.

Whitney threw his hands up. "Don't look at me, she has a point."

"Claws, darling, he's on _my_ side." Scales looped her arm around his, pulling down the skin under her right eye and sticking out her tongue quite childishly. "Find your own cheerleader, he and I go _way_ back."

"Claws? That's her name?"

"You call me Scales, I call her Claws. Neither are our names but we identify with them so we let it slide." Scales was obviously in a bitchy mood right now, the reptilian eyes scanning their surroundings.

Whitney licked his lips, not wanting to piss her off more by seeming like he was insensitive to her plight. "Not to change the subject, but what the _hell_ was happening to Chloe before? The bubble and the spasms and arching and the bloody butterflies crawling out of her and turning into those things and-?"

Scales turned those reptilian greens on him, stopping his babbled, run-on sentence immediately, a muscle jumping in her cheek before her reptilian's turned to the inky-eyed girl. "To be honest, I don't really know myself." And she looked pissed off about it. "It's why I'm out here." A forked tongued poked out and licked her lips before disappearing back behind her lips as she sighed. "Ever since we've crossed over to this place, _that __**bitch**_has been completely active and some strange _shit_ has been going on inside of Chloe. I can't understand it. Also, a little while ago, a part of her mind became blocked off, almost as if it requires some special access code and someone forgot to give it to anybody."

Chloe's eyebrow raised.

Scales snorted. "Oh, you going to say _you_ can access it?"

A muscle jumped in Chloe's cheek as she looked away.

Scales smirked, vindicated. "_Exactly_."

"Wait, I'm not following." Whitney looked between them. "You're the two dominant magics in her. There shouldn't be a part of her you two shouldn't be able to access."

"If I didn't have to deal with _Rise of the Planet of the Apes_ over there, maybe I could figure something out." Scales folded her arms over her chest.

Suddenly Chloe's eyes rolled in her head and Whitney barely managed to grab her as her knees buckled in a faint.

"_Chloe_?" Whitney stared down at her pale face, realizing the girl was sleeping, the Quarterback completely confused.

"That's _it_!" a new voice announced, a new version of Chloe storming towards them, this one still bearing the inky black eyes, black hair, claw-like black nails, and a formfitting black leather jumpsuit with heels. "Listen here, you little bitch, I am _not_ going to let you and your insecurities continue to bad mouth me! I am the _rightful_ reflection!"

"_As if_." Scales snorted. "I'm the one who's had to do all the damned work!"

"She gave up the Balcoin position!" Claws stomped her foot. "She gave _you_ up! The symbol on her palms is the _Omega_. Thus _I_ am the manifestation."

"Oh screw you, _Emo Barbie_." Scales sneered. "She doesn't even know you _exist_."

Whitney found himself kneeling on the ground, Chloe curled on his lap, staring at the physical manifestations of her Balcoin and Darkseid magics in the beginnings of a catfight, unable to believe that he found himself in this situation. Chloe coughed in her sleep, turning towards him, a drop of blood dripping from her mouth onto his shirt, the metallic taste in his mouth reminding him sharply that this wasn't the time or place. "LADIES! Or – _whatever_ – you are." He cleared his throat when the both of them turned towards him. "Claws, you're the Darkseid magic in Chloe, yes?"

"You are correct." Claws straightened herself, holding her head high. "This isn't exactly my true form, but I've seen that everyone is used to the humanoid illusion _she_ uses, so in order to help with the transference period as I take over her place, I have adapted it."

"How about I adapt these star studded Versace pumps up your-" Scales began, pointing to her shoes.

Whitney quickly interrupted. "You want to explain the situation to us then, Claws? Wanna give us some info on what the _hell_ is going on?"

"I would be _more_ than happy to prove how _much_ more useful I am." Claws sent Scales a smirk before returning her inky eyes to Whitney. "When Chloe crossed over I awoke due to the fact that we are back."

"Back?" Whitney frowned.

Even Scales looked confused.

Claws looked between the two of them in confusion. "Don't you know?"

"Know what?" Whitney asked, feeling cold dread trail down his spine, like he was about to learn something that he didn't really want to know.

Claws opened her mouth.

Suddenly the ground shook, the trio turning to look in the direction of the disturbance to see a creature slowly making its way towards them through the flames.

Whitney's eyes widened as he saw the slug slowly crawl _through_ the flames. "It's fire proof."

Other creatures were taking advantage, crawling and running over the slug into the ring, ready to attack.

Suddenly magic exploded around them, fog and lightning stunning the creatures around them, a disembodied voice hissing behind Whitney. "Hurry! Run! It won't stun them for long! Grab the girl and follow me!"

As he coughed through the fog, his eyes tearing up with whatever was in the air, Whitney could faintly see someone in the shadows. He didn't know who it was, but all he knew was that the person has saved them, and he obeyed, grabbing Chloe and flinging her over his shoulders as he ran after, Claws and Scales having already disappeared back within her.

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Adam, Byron, Mikhail, Lucas and Jake listened to the message from Greg after leaving Clark's. They'd gotten him to promise not to tell Pete or Lana under the excuse that they wanted to do the same to the other two and it would "work better" if the other two weren't expecting it. They didn't want the other boy to know that they suspected that one of the three could be a spy, a traitor, and that, while they hadn't completely ruled him out, so far he seemed clear. The little bit of memories that Adam had been able to find concerning Chloe had been enlightening and they now knew about another one of Rao's interrogators who seemed able to manipulate one's mind to the degree that they saw people that weren't there, and he'd said something about using "lust" as a base – which had made Adam wonder if he could use other things as bases. Slowly, they were piecing together more information.

But was it too slowly?

Greg, Diana, Faye and Cassie were in the Shadow Realm with Whitney and Cassie. The _Shadow Realm_ for crying out loud! And they could be stuck there forever!

Byron was the first to react, slamming his fist into the wall. "I'm going to kill him."

Mikhail frowned, eyeing his normally tranquil, soft-spoken brother.

"If he leaves them there, I will tear him from limb to limb," Byron promised. "I won't need my Dark side to do that." And with that, the boy stormed away.

The others watched him go, worried.

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"What's wrong with our magic?" Cassie wanted to know, the orb of magic in her hand not _half_ as bright as it should have been. They'd been walking in this fog world for what seemed like forever, although Diana had assured them it was only half an hour, but their magic was visibly weaker and it tired them more to use it. It was as if this place was draining them every time they used their magic. "I swear my light keeps getting dimmer."

Faye ignored her, instead concentrating before groaning, her feet killing her, not having expected to do this much walking when she'd chosen these heels. "He said I should be able to sense her but I don't sense shit!" She turned to Greg. "What about you, _Cyclops_?"

Greg ran a scarred hand through his hair. "I was following _you_."

"We're gonna _die_," Faye concluded.

Diana licked her lips, looking around them, dark eyes alert on the fog. So far they hadn't seen any living thing but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything out there watching them, stalking them. "Maybe we need to hold hands."

Faye raised an eyebrow. "This is hardly a Kumbaya moment."

Diana turned towards her. "Rao said he was sending us in because we were _connected_ to her, remember?" She turned her gaze on Greg. "You See things better when you can touch something that's connected to it. That's why you're a _Touch_Sight."

Greg slowly grinned. "Diana, I'm going to marry you one day."

Diana burst out in laughter. "Who says I'll have you?"

Cassie reached out and grabbed Diana's hand and then Greg's tightly.

"Don't race to hold mine," Faye grumbled, grabbing Greg and Diana's other hands. "I'll try to search out her energy and you connect to it and See whatever you can See." Her eyes turned to the sisters. "_You two_ make sure nothing creeps up and tries to eat us."

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It was a cave deep within the belly of the earth, protected with countless magical sigils. It was cleverly hidden, almost invisible to the mortal eye, and Whitney would have run right past it if the person he was following hadn't been right in front of him and had slid under the gap under the large boulder that was hidden by a leafy bush. Whitney hesitantly let go of Chloe, letting her body slide in before slipping in as well, grabbing the girl and following after the fully covered person who magicked the entrance sealed, the sigils burning bright all around them. The person, still completely covered, lit a torch with a flint and motioned with a sharp movement of the head for Whitney to follow, the person's movements brusque, the Quarterback having no choice but to follow through the wet cavern, bowls collecting the water for drinking, until they finally came to a dry room, where it was obvious that this person lived.

Whitney looked around, wondering just what the hell he'd gotten them into and what the hell type of person lived in a place like this.

The person removed the head-covering, revealing a beautiful girl around their age with black hair and gray eyes. "Put her down on the cot."

Whitney hesitated for a second before nodding, doing as told.

"What happened to her?" The girl removed her heavy clock and gloves as she moved towards Chloe, eyeing her.

"I don't know," Whitney admitted, kneeling down over her.

"Who were you two traded for?" the girl asked.

"Traded for?" Whitney made a face.

The girl eyed him oddly. "Yes, traded for."

"No one." He frowned.

She continued to eye him oddly before reaching over and pressing her fingers to Chloe's pulse. "If you two weren't traded for someone then why and how are you here?"

"She came here accidentally and I was sent here to get her back," Whitney responded. "But when I found her, she was like this."

"_Accidentally_?" the girl hissed. "How can someone come here _accidentally_? Who the hell _are_ you two?"

"Who the hell are _you_?" he wanted to know.

"How about the girl who saved your _ass_?" she snapped.

She had a point there.

Suddenly Chloe cried out as her eyes opened, staring unseeingly ahead of her once more as her body levitated into the air.

"_Nonononono_," Whitney hissed, throwing himself on top of her, straddling the girl and using his weight to force her down onto the mat, refusing to let her body be twisted in such inhuman ways in the air once more, the Quarterback pinning her wrists above her head. "Not again. I won't let it happen to you again." Her body jerked, spasming under his, trying to buck him off, but Whitney held on tightly, keeping her down, his eyes bleeding red as he tasted her blood in his mouth once more. "Wake up, Chloe! WAKE UP!"

Chloe began to cough, her lips parting as two delicate legs appeared, a butterfly slowly emerging.

_"My gods_," the girl next to Whitney whispered. "_I can't believe it_." She then reached out rapidly and yanked the butterfly out, crushing it in her hands, destroying its life before it could even try to dry its wings and metamorphose. "Keep her mouth closed! Don't let anything else out!"

"What?" Whitney turned his head towards her.

"Are you deaf?" she snapped. "That was an easy enough order!"

Whitney glared at the girl before staring down at Chloe. He was barely managing to keep her pinned under him as it was as she spasmed under him, the girl's eyes rolling back in her sockets, beginning to cry tears of blood, just like before. She coughed and out of desperation, he brought his lips down to hers, tasting the blood on her mouth. He could feel the fluttering against his lips but pushed against it, pushed his magic, forcing it back inside of Chloe, back within her despite the resistance he could feel as it clawed and tried to fight its way out.

"Good, now get out of the way!" The girl reappeared, falling to her knees next to them, a bowl filled with herbs, water, and something else inside. She sliced her palm, bleeding into the mixture before mixing the ingredients and bringing the bowl to the girl's lips.

Whitney covered Chloe's mouth immediately. "What is that?"

"It'll stop what's happening to her," the girl answered.

"What. Is. That?" Whitney narrowed his eyes on the concoction.

"I could explain everything to you but by the time I finished, she could have already birthed another one of those things and the fact that it was born, even if only for a couple of seconds, would have brought one of _them_ a little closer to finding us. My protection sigils would be useless to hide us." The girl glared at Whitney. "So I commend the fact that you're protecting your Mistress, but you're going to have to believe that _no one_ in this godforsaken place wants her alive more than _me_ right now."

Whitney stared into her eyes, not knowing whether he could trust her or not, but he had no other choice really, removing his hand as Chloe began coughing once more.

As he watched the girl tilt Chloe's head back, brushing her thumb against Chloe's lip to remove the blood accumulated there before slipping the concoction into her mouth. Whitney wondered why Scales and Claws weren't reappearing. Maybe it had something to do with the sigils all over the cave somehow.

Chloe choked on the liquid.

The girl forced Chloe's mouth closed, working her fingers over Chloe's throat, somehow getting the girl to swallow, whispering some words he couldn't hear, gray eyes flashing bright blue.

Chloe gasped for air, clawing at her throat as the magic affected her.

"What have you done?" Whitney snapped, leaning down over Chloe.

It's why he never noticed the girl staring at her blood-covered thumb, whispering, "_Dnuob yb doolb_," before sucking the thumb into her mouth, eyes flashing bright blue in magic once more.

Chloe shot up in a sitting position, grabbing Whitney's shirt, gasping in deep gulps of air as she looked around her, visibly disoriented. "Where are we?"

"_Thank the gods_," Whitney whispered, wrapping his arms around Chloe tightly, almost scared to let go of her as he held her. "What do you remember?"

"I was supposed to be focusing on my prophet," Chloe mumbled into his shirt. "And then I was here, and then I was on a ledge and there was a presence that scratched my back and- Where am I? What are you doing here? Where is _here_? Why does my body feel so sore but my back feel fine?" She pulled away, reaching behind her to slide her hand beneath her shirt, finding no wound and apparently confused due to that fact. The blonde licked her lips, making a face. "Why does my mouth taste so weird?" She then seemed to notice the girl, her eyes widening slightly. "Hello."

Whitney frowned, letting go of her completely, turning to face the girl he didn't trust, even if she had saved them, twice. "Chloe, this is-" That's when he realized he hadn't even gotten this girl's name.

"You're a Le Fay," Chloe announced, shocking the hell out of Whitney, and apparently the girl too, if the widening of her eyes said anything about it. "Sorry, your coloring gave it away. And also your necklace. It bares the symbol of the House of Le Fay."

The girl reached for the pendant Whitney hadn't even noticed, looking away, expression disturbed. "I don't claim that House, I only keep this because it was my mother's. She was from the Le Fay House, her brother is Janus Le Fay. I have no love for that House, that Clan; should they die tomorrow, I'd only visit their graves to _spit_ on them. He left my mother, father and I here to _rot_."

"_What_?" Whitney hissed, unable to believe his ears.

"How long have you been here?" Chloe asked the girl, eyes narrowed.

The girl looked away, licking her lips. "Since I was two."

Whitney ran his hand over his face. "How have you survived this long?"

"Because my parents were two of the smartest, strongest witches alive." There was pride in those gray eyes as she said that. "And they taught me all that they knew. They gave me the strength to carry on." She gulped. "Even after they-" She cleared her throat. "After."

Chloe reached out and placed her hand on the girl's. "I'm sorry."

The witch merely nodded.

Chloe took in a deep breath. "I'm Chloe Sullivan, this is Whitney Fordman."

"Sullivan?" the girl asked, tilting her head, eyebrow raised.

Chloe gulped, her gaze lowering to the cave floor. "Well, to be honest, I'm Chloe Balcoin-Darkseid."

The witch merely stared at her in silence before sputtering out a bark of laughter. "Well, damn. That explains a lot." She shook her head, a shocked smile tilting her lips as she outstretched her hand. "Chloe Balcoin-Darkseid, Whitney Fordman, let me introduce myself and welcome you to my humble abode." She took in a deep breath. "My name's Zatanna Zatara."

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**TBC**


	84. Royal

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Faye tried recalling the time she was kidnapped by Lionel Luthor while in Chloe's body, trying to reconnect with whatever link she'd managed to unknowingly tap into that'd called Chloe to her. The blonde had said that she'd sensed Faye's distress and that it'd brought her to her. They'd thought it was because of the fact that they were sharing each other's bodies, but if Rao Darkseid could be trusted, it was because she was Chloe's Prophet and that meant that if Faye had managed to connect with Chloe once before, she could do it again. She tightened her grip on Greg and Diana, using them as anchors, one as Chloe's sister and the other as her Cyclops. She wasn't sure what the Cyclops was supposed to be (not that she was sure what the Prophet was supposed to be either) but she figured that Diana's position as blood relation (and Cassie's as well) gave her a good anchoring.

"Um, guys?" Diana gulped.

Faye kept her eyes closed, concentrating.

Greg's grip on her hand tightened.

That's when Faye felt it too…

…She could sense Chloe.

Cassie's voice was a soft hiss. "We're not alone anymore."

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"I know this is a _very_ insensitive question," Chloe pulled a blonde strand out of her face and behind her ear as she sat on the mat, staring around the cave that must be Zatanna's home, having been filled in on the fact that she was trapped in the Shadow Realm, "but how long have you been here alone?"

Zatanna looked away, clearing her throat, gaze going to some markings on the cave walls. "Three years now."

"That's a long time," Whitney whispered awkwardly at Chloe's side.

"Yes, it has," Zatanna agreed, nodding, pulling a strand of her straight dark hair out of her face before returning her gray gaze to them. "To be honest, sometimes I thought I'd go insane without anyone else to talk to."

"I can imagine." The Quarterback made a face. "How did you even know we were here when you helped us?"

"How could I not?" She raised an eyebrow. "You were making enough noise exploding things left, right and center that I could feel the earth vibrating so I went to see what was going on. And anyway, I could _feel_ something the second _she_ appeared. Of course I didn't even suspect for a _second_ what had _really_ happened." Her grays were on Chloe, in deep thought, before she shook her head, licking her lips. "Makes sense though, why there were so many of _them_ around watching. They could sense her. Probably shocked them too."

"Who?" Chloe frowned, completely in the dark considering she'd been asleep during the whole thing. "I don't remember any of this. I thought I was running this whole time and someone I couldn't see was chasing me. I was being shredded, bleeding." She could remember the eight claw marks, the blood. "I have no memory of the dark bubble or these butterflies climbing out of me – which – _eewww_," she made a face at the mere _thought_, "or the fact that they were evolving into something else. Or the other monsters. Or anything."

"How was that possible anyway?" Whitney wanted to know, turning to her. "Jason said that when the Legend of the Seeker happened, that two butterflies came out of you, but that they _stayed_ butterflies."

"_What_?" Chloe's eyes widened. "And you didn't _feel the need_ to share this sort of information with me?"

"It was going to gross you out." Whitney made a face.

"With good reason!" Chloe cried out in horror, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer before giving the boy a sharp shake. "Butterflies are climbing out of my throat! _Butterflies_!"

Zatanna looked between them, confusion plain on her face, before she cleared her throat. "I do not mean to interrupt, I haven't been this entertained in _far_ too long, but are you trying to say that you don't _know_ what's going on?"

Chloe let go of Whitney, turning toward Zatanna. "Are you trying to say that you _do_?"

Zatanna stared at the blonde before clearing her throat. "You _are_ Rao Darkseid's daughter, are you not?"

"Technically." Chloe made a face.

Zatanna moved closer. "His magic runs through your body, has since your birth. You are not an adopted daughter."

Chloe's eyes widened, nodding as she too moved closer, showing the other witch her palms. "I was born Darkseid."

"It couldn't be any other way." Zatanna seemed to be talking to herself, eyeing the symbols slowly forming on Chloe's palms before raising her grey orbs to the girl's greens. "And yet you do not know what you are? Or your connection to this place?"

"Rao was trapped here, in this prison dimension, by his wife, my ancestor, for being an ass." Chloe shrugged. "It's a sore spot of his; he doesn't like talking about it."

Zatanna stared at Chloe then Whitney before returning her gaze to Chloe. "That's all you know?"

The two blondes shared a look before turning their gaze to the dark haired beauty. "There's _more_?"

Zatanna let out a stuttering laugh. "There's _so_ much more!" She clutched at her necklace. "I can't believe you don't know."

"Don't know what?" Whitney narrowed his blues on the witch.

"The fact that she was able to come here 'accidentally' at all should have been enough to clue you in," the witch announced accusingly, shaking her head at them. "Though I doubt it'll be as easy for her to leave as it was for her to enter – if she'll be able to leave at _all_. If they _let_ her leave."

"Spit it out already." Whitney clenched his fists tightly.

Zatanna took in a deep breath. "Rao wasn't trapped in a prison dimension. He was _sent back_."

Chloe frowned. "Sent back where?"

Zatanna leaned forwards. "Home."

Chloe's eyes widened. "_What_?"

"Chloe, _this_ is Rao Darkseid's home dimension, not earth. _This_ hellhole is where he's really from. When Vika Balcoin sealed him away here, she wasn't imprisoning him in some foreign Shadow Realm like you seem to think. She was forcing him to remain in his home dimension and keeping him from being able to venture into _ours_," Zatanna whispered.

"But that's impossible." Whitney shook his head. "He's human. Nothing we've seen so far from here has _remotely_ resembled anything humanoid!"

"He's _Royal_," Zatanna corrected, grays resting on Chloe. "Only the Royals have the ability to shift, to take any form that pleases them, but even they can't hide their true reflection."

Chloe's eyes widened, face going pale as she stumbled to her feet. "_What did you say_?"

"From the moment that first butterfly emerged from your mouth, I knew what you were." Zatanna stood, standing tall over the shorter girl. "You're a Royal. You're a Dragon."

"I only have his _magic_ in me." Chloe shook her head, taking a couple of steps backwards. "I'm not _really_ his daughter. His _blood_ doesn't run in me, nor do his genes. I'm not _really_-"

Zatanna reached out and grabbed Chloe's arm, yanking the girl closer, twisting her arm so that her palm was raised upwards, showcasing the Omega sign.

"Let her go." Whitney stood, growling.

Zatanna ignored him, grays on Chloe's greens. "John Balcoin, Janus Le Fay and Lionel Luthor opened a rift into this dimension and came to see Darkseid with offers in exchange for their desires to be granted them; desires that only he could give them. I do not know what Lionel Luthor wanted or what he offered, he kept it very close to his chest. Janus Le Fay was dying of cancer. All involved knew what John Balcoin wanted and that he was so sure that, even if he had a daughter, that she wouldn't be the Firstborn. But my father, he told me that he believed that if there was a way for Rao to assure that you were female, it would be done. Because from the first time he seduced six mortals into freeing him into this world, this has always been his plan." Zatanna stared at Chloe. "It's the females that give birth to the darkness, that continue the lineage, and the _second_ you crossed over, you proved you were more than able to do so. And you caught a _lot_ of unwanted attention in the process."

"Are you saying I had... _monster babies_?" Chloe whispered, hands clutching at her throat in horror, feeling horribly violated.

"You really don't know anything." Zatanna just stared at her in shock. "You didn't give birth to _those things_. They aren't babies. They're-"

Suddenly Chloe clutched at her chest as a jab of power seared through her upper body, knocking the breath right out of her lungs. Her head throbbed, her world flashed brightly, shifting from the cave to outside, from Zatanna and Whitney hurrying to her side asking her what was wrong (the sigils in the cave walls burning bright) to Greg staring deep in her eyes, mouthing Chloe's name, and Diana and Cassie trying to fend off a group of monsters that were attacking while still holding the others' hands. Whitney and Zatanna reappeared, their movements slow, their voices distorted. Greg, Cassie and Diana returned, out in the shadowed jungle, the monsters managing to knock Cassie away from the others, one of them biting deep into Cassie's shoulder causing the blonde to scream.

Something inside Chloe snapped, her pendant erupting in a brilliant light that covered everything and everyone, the blonde clasping her hands around it, feeling the pendant throbbing in tune with her heartbeat before the light returned into the orb pendant.

The flashing back and forth, the distortion, the slow motion – it all stopped, before returning to real time, Chloe in the jungle as she yanked her hands free from Greg and Diana, holding her palm out towards the creature fangs deep in Cassie's shoulder. Her pupils went reptilian and green as the whites of her eyes bled inky black seconds before the creature _exploded, _pieces of it raining down all around them, driving the other creatures back, the monsters visibly confused and wary, not scared but weighing this new development at a safer distance as they withdrew for the time being.

Chloe ignored them and hurried towards Cassie as her eyes returned to normal. Everything having happened so fast, in the blinking of an eye, truly. No one, not even Chloe herself, had noticed the previous, altered state of the now normal (and very worried) greens. She knelt beside her little sister, giving a little half-laugh because Cassie was blonde, not redheaded, a bit of Chloe's fractured memories returning by just being in the younger girl's presence. "Are you okay?"

Cassie hissed as she looked up at Chloe in silence.

Greg and Diana drew closer, the two brunettes sharing a look before bending on their knees on both of her sides, placing their hands on her shoulder.

"This was not what we were going for, but it works for me," Greg told her.

"I should probably be a little more worried about whether this is going be become a... thing..." Diana whispered, her hand trembling on Chloe's shoulder. "But I'm just glad to have you back, in any form."

"What are you guys talking about?" Chloe turned to stare at Diana in confusion before turning back to Cassie when the blonde gave a cry and reached out, pulling her into a tight hug despite how much it much have pained her considering the fact that she was injured.

"_You had no right!"_

Chloe's eyes widened, body stiff in shock at the fact that Cassie of all people was hugging her, crying. _Cassie_!

"You brought us all together! You promised us a home! You promised us _family_! And then you abandoned us! You threw us away like we were meaningless! Like we-!"

_ "No_." Chloe found her arms going around her youngest sister, hugging her tightly. Her memory might be foggy but she knew without a doubt that she loved her family, that everything she'd ever done had been for _them_. "I _love_ you guys. I _adore_ every single one of you. Even though you're all _brats_. Particularly _you_."

Cassie gave a choked cry even as she held on. "Then why did you leave us?"

Chloe could see the same question in Diana's eyes, even though the brunette was trying to be more understanding. "I had a choice and I chose the option that would protect everyone."

"We don't _need_ protection," Cassie hissed, pulling away, blues fiery as she stared into Chloe's eyes. "We're Balcoins. People need to be protected from _us_."

Chloe knelt on the ground, staring into her little sister's face and couldn't help but stutter out a little laugh as she reached up and cupped her face. "I can't believe I've missed that arrogance."

Cassie pouted, lips pursed, obviously deflated. "It's not _arrogance_…"

Diana didn't seem able to take it anymore, flinging her arms around Chloe's neck. "I've been _so worried_."

Chloe smiled softly. "I worried about you all, too."

Something howled in the fog, interrupting the moment.

"I hate to interrupt the female bonding, especially since I have yet to get my _own_ hug," Greg announced, "but we should probably get to some sort of better defendable ground before making our way towards wherever your body is."

"My body?" It was only at that that Chloe looked down and realized that she was once more in Faye's body. The girl's eyes widened in shock, the previous comments finally making sense. "I see."

Greg stood, helping the girls to their feet, the witches casting wary glances around them, the creatures watching. He gazed back at the monsters, watching them, the boy pushing the girls protectively behind him, and yet considering there were creatures all around them, it really wasn't keeping them all that protected. "Can you do what you did last time this happened?"

"You mean blinking back to where to my body is?" Chloe asked as she, Diana and Cassie turned so that they were forming a circle, their backs facing each other, eyeing the creatures in the shadows. "I'm not sure."

"Can you try?" Diana whispered.

"Yeah, I mean." Cassie licked her lips. "Couldn't hurt, right?"

"Right." Chloe lowered her hands, bringing up the shield around them in a dome. "Hold hands."

Cassie lowered hers immediately, slipping her hand in Chloe's. "Kumbaya."

Chloe closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on Faye like she had the night Lionel had tried to forcefully bind her body or whatever the hell he'd been trying to do that night because with what she knew now, there was no way that was what he was _really_ trying to do. She tried imagining the cave Whitney and Zatanna were in, but something seemed to be blocking her, a hiss escaping her lips, the girl tilting her head away as a sigil flashed in front of her mind, ruining her concentration time and time again.

The sigils.

Whatever Zatanna was using to block the creatures of this place from finding her, they were blocking Chloe as well.

Opening her eyes, Chloe let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "No can do, I'm being blocked."

Greg licked his lips, clearing his throat. "Then I suggest we start running, _now_."

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Zatanna sensed it the second it happened, grabbing the girl by the neck and reached for her dagger. She pressed it against the other girl's abdomen with one fluid movement, lightning fast. "_Who_ _are you_?"

Those green eyes widened before magic pushed against Zatanna, burning her, forcing her to drop the blade and yet she kept her hand clasped hard against that neck. "Whitney." The voice was Chloe's and yet the tone was different, the intonation slower, more pronounced as those greens rolled to the witch who'd stood, obviously having sensed the change as well. "Can you tell the bitch witch to let go of me before she hurts me? It's not like I was actually _trying_ to switch bodies again. I was _only_ supposed to _maybe_ get in her head for a second, long enough for her to realize we were here." Those lips pursed in a pout. "_I_ didn't switch. This was _her_ doing."

Whitney raised an eyebrow. "_Faye_?"

"Someone give the boy a pat on the back." The girl rolled her eyes before fixing them on Zatanna. "Back off, Volturi Guard wannabe. Can't have you damaging the package."

Zatanna was a little confused, but considering that Whitney seemed to know who the person in Chloe's body was and he didn't seem angered or bothered by this, she let go. "Where is Chloe?"

"Out there, with the others," the person, Whitney had called her "Faye", announced. "We were being attacked when she switched with me."

"She can't be out there." Zatanna turned to Whitney as she stood. "As long as she's outside of the protection of my sigils, they can find her."

"'They' being?" Faye wanted to know, standing as well.

"None of your business," Zatanna declared.

"Hey, I'm a part of her Circle _and_ rescue detail. I have every right to know if she has someone on her tail." Faye anchored her hands on her hips.

"Since when are you a part of her Circle and not just a really persistent groupie?" Whitney raised an eyebrow.

Faye smirked. "Since _I_ am her official Prophet."

"Prophet?" Whitney raised an eyebrow, not impressed.

Zatanna froze, examining Faye with a narrowed gaze before turning her grays on Whitney. "How do you know this girl?"

"It's complicated." Whitney shrugged, running his fingers through his hair, gaze turning to Faye. "What's this about being a Prophet? You're a psychic or something?"

Zatanna didn't let Faye speak, still talking to Whitney. "Has Chloe possessed her body before? Has this girl shown immense loyalty to Chloe and unshakable belief in her and her cause, her power? Has this girl, of her own free will, left family and friends to follow Chloe and be near her? Has she expressed an intense yearning and desire to not only follow Chloe physically, but magically as a disciple, and is willing to go to any lengths to achieve that goal, no matter how dastardly the means?"

"Dastardly." Faye smirked. "A little fifties, but I like the word."

"If, when you say disciple, you mean a part of her Circle..." Whitney blinked, staring between Faye and Zatanna. "Then you've creepily hit everything a hundred percent on the nail."

"A Prophet," Zatanna whispered, eyeing Faye in a different light. "I see. But I thought Royals could only possess their prophets, not actually switch bodies with them."

Faye sent a "take that!" look to Whitney before she turned to Zatanna. "She's Voldemort Barbie, general rules don't apply."

Zatanna frowned, obviously not getting the pop cultural reference and yet getting the gist on it nonetheless. "I'm starting to suspect that." She shook her head, grabbing a bag and beginning to stuff things inside of it that she'd need. "We need to go. She's not safe out there. They'll find her and when they do-"

"But she's in Faye's body." Whitney frowned. "Shouldn't that make it a little harder for them to track her down?"

"That's what I've been trying to explain to you people." Zatanna turned to him, agitated. "You don't seem to get that magic isn't tied to our bodies. It's tied to our _souls_. It's why, when she jumps bodies, her magic doesn't stay locked in her body, it jumps with her." The witch clenched her fists. "That girl's body might be human, but half of her belongs here and that half is going to call to the Royals and they're going to come find her."

"Wait, _what_?" Faye narrowed Chloe's green eyes, the girl vastly in need of getting caught up.

"No time." Whitney moved towards her. "Do you have a rough idea of where you guys were?"

"I have no idea where _we_ are!" Faye snapped.

"Tell me the layout of the land you were in," Zatanna ordered as she continued grabbing things she'd need.

"It was like a rain forest, I don't know!" Faye threw her hands up in the air.

Zatanna turned towards her. "You can't be serious. Your rift opened up in the Valley of Gorgons?"

"I'm taking that as something that isn't good." Whitney frowned.

"It's good in the sense that it isn't _too_ horribly far away." Zatanna took in a stuttered breath, running her hand down her face. "But there are things in there even my parents were terrified of."

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It seemed like the farther they ran into the jungle, the thicker the fog grew. It was hard to not get lost, not to lose each other in the thickness, and it almost felt as if they were being herded somewhere. The thought was terrifying, but Chloe didn't really have much time to think as she tried to keep from tripping in Faye's heels. Seriously though, why did Faye come to a rescue mission in heels and a dress? What was the idea?

Sensing a shadow racing towards them through the fog, Chloe threw up the shield in time for a giant mongoose looking creature with fangs and claws dripping some sort of orange liquid to bounce off of it, shrieking as the dome emitted an electric shockwave, frying the creature, the scent of burnt fur filling the air. Another creature, this one seeming a mixture of a baboon and an ape, threw itself at the dome in a frenzied attack, seeming to brush off the first couple of electric shocks it received before finally exploding from the accumulation of electricity in its body.

Chloe swayed.

Greg caught her, his hands on her shoulders. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded, bringing a hand to her forehead. "I'm fine."

Up ahead, a creature with a rhino's horn charged with a roar.

Cassie and Diana slammed their palms against the inside of the shield seconds before it could hit, their magic feeding into the barrier and causing spikes of magic to spear out, impaling the creature right through its horn, killing it instantly.

The monsters withdrew into the fog once more, assessing the situation.

Greg kept his scarred hands tight on Chloe's shoulders, his eyes narrowed. "What's blocking you?"

"What?" She turned her head sideways to look into his face, the boy standing behind her slightly.

Greg was obviously using his ability as he gripped her, eyes narrowed. "Something's blocked in you. I can't See why. But it's why you're growing weak power-wise." There was a pause. "Also?" He frowned, tilting his head. "I'm Seeing something I'm not understanding."

Chloe frowned. "Which would be?"

Greg opened his mouth.

Suddenly the shield shattered.

The teens' eyes widened.

"What just happened?" Cassie asked in wide-eyed shock.

"I don't know." Chloe looked around. "I didn't do that."

"_Run!_" Diana screamed, seeing a creature beginning to charge.

Greg pushed Chloe forwards before grabbing Cassie and Diana, pushing them forwards as well, throwing a fire spell behind him. "Air around me, grant me flame!" He tried catching the pathway on fire, tried slowing down the pace of their pursuers, but Chloe knew that there was little that he could do, especially since the teens had no idea where they were going. She tried desperately to throw back up her shield but no matter how many times she did it, she couldn't get even a flicker of it to appear. Just what the hell had happened back there? Why had it shattered like that? What was going on?

Cutting through some bushes, Chloe skidded to a stop as her eyes widened and she realized that she found herself at the mouth of a stone temple. It was all very Indiana Jones except the Temple was in perfect condition, the flames in the torches spewing black flames, and the markings on the walls... and the statues adorning the courtyard of the Temple… were all monstrous Dragons. The others stumbled into the clearing behind her, but Chloe didn't notice them, the girl in silent awe as she stared at the dark, ominous beauty of this place.

She moved towards one of the statues, felt drawn towards it almost as if against her own will, the girl staring up into the eyes, realizing that the statues were made with different gemstones and so were the eyes. This one's eyes were made of a stone that resembled a bloodstone, half green and half red.

"They haven't followed us here," Cassie whispered.

"Makes you wonder _why_," Diana whispered back.

Greg joined Chloe's side as the girl stood in front of one of the large Dragon statues. "Are we thinking those things are here too?"

Chloe gulped. "Yep."

"Oh, great." Greg licked his lips.

Chloe hugged herself, feeling a cold chill race down her spine. "We need to get out of here, now."

"Maybe we should stay," Greg announced. "I understand why you would want to leave, but those things out there don't seem to want to be here, so maybe we could stay here until they leave and once they do, we can slip away."

"You don't get it." Chloe's gaze returned to the Dragons. "I _can't_ be here."

"Why not?" Diana frowned, looking from Chloe to the stone Dragons and back. "What don't we know?"

Chloe licked her lips, still half in denial as she hugged herself tighter. "It's just not safe here."

"Okay." Cassie nodded. "Fine." The blonde looked around. "We'll leave then, figure out some way to slip through unnoticed."

Suddenly the teens found themselves forced to their knees on the ground, magic hard and oppressive, nearly suffocating, as a man appeared from the mouth of the Temple, making his way slowly down the steps towards them.

He stepped in front of them, eyebrow raised, his blue eyes observing them, lips curved. "It's a little too late for _that__,_ I'm afraid."

Chloe could feel the magic of this man slithering over her like a snake, forcing her on her hands and knees. She tried pushing up off of her knees but there was no such luck. The girl grunted, hating the fact that she was so powerless as he came to stand before them, eyeing them curiously. He had to be a Royal, a Dragon. Zatanna had said that they were the only ones who had the ability to shift into human form and Chloe couldn't help but wonder exactly _why_ he had chosen to take that form right now. Why did he feel it would benefit him to do so?

He stopped before her. "I was told a girl with _golden_ hair held our magic in her veins, and yet, unless there is another golden haired girl in our world that I do not sense, I was lied to."

Her gaze darted away to the side, feeling the magic pressing down harder on her, driving her face into the dirt, her cheek pressing into the dust.

"So he was finally able to successfully do it I see," the man announced as he bent in front of her. "And yet something seems… off… about you."

Chloe remained silent.

"I am _speaking_ to you." He grabbed her hair, yanking her head up so that she was staring into reptilian eyes, the whites inky black. "I know you're truly only a human, but even _you_ should know enough to speak when spoken to."

"Even _you_ should know that you don't touch a woman like that," Greg growled from where he was.

Chloe turned her gaze on him. "Greg, _don't_."

But the damage was done, the man letting go of her as he turned his attention on Greg. "You think you're being brave? Standing up to me like that, human?" He smirked down at Greg. "For that, I will have my servants eat you first." He raised his hands in the air. "Beasts of the air, consume him!" His smirk grew evil. "_Slowly_."

Creatures that looked almost like feathered pterodactyls circled above.

"_No_!" Chloe screamed, fighting against the magic holding her down, her hand trembling against the force keeping her still as it moved slowly towards the pendant that somehow always appeared around her neck, even when she switched bodies.

"_Please_!" Cassie begged, face closer to the ground than Diana's, and redder as well from her effort against the magic pressing on her.

"Don't hurt him!" Diana struggled and yet it was not as hard as the others, the brunette seeming more intent on trying to take in her surrounding and everything going on around them.

"You _asshole_!" Greg fought, ever defiant as the creatures continued to circle over him, reaching lower and lower with each swoop, their clawed legs reaching for him. "Fight me like a man and don't send Tweety to do your dirty work!"

Finally Chloe's hand clasped around her pendant and the second it did, a bright light exploded. The girl could feel a tug of magic from her naval, expanding outwards, knocking out her breath, blinding her and driving away the diving pterodactyls with a screech.

Once the light retreated back into the orb, Chloe was more tired than she'd been before, her whole body trembling, but she was in her own body was more and the bright light had done what she'd hope it would, having both blinded, scared, and disoriented everything in this Shadow Realm which was unused to light. Even this man, this Dragon, had staggered back, his control on them loosened, his hands on his eyes as he bent over, trying to recover from the brightness. Chloe staggered to her feet, Diana, Cassie and Greg fast on theirs as well, the teens barely making it three steps before the magic was back, forcing them onto their knees once more.

The man moved towards them before bending on his knees in front of Chloe once more, eyeing her, reaching out to touch her now blonde hair, seeing her in her true form for the first time. "Do you understand how _rare_ you are?"

Chloe stared up at him in silence.

"Do that again, the light," he ordered. "But make sure not to do anything funny this time."

"I can't."

He leaned closer to her, his lips brushing against her earlobe as he whispered, "If you don't do that again, I'll randomly pick one of these girls, strip her naked, and leave her to the mercy of the beasts in these jungles." He took a sniff of her hair. "They won't kill her at first, but she'll wish that they had."

Chloe licked her lips, eyeing her sisters as she reached up and placed a trembling, weak hand over his eyes. "I don't know if this will work." It was with that warning that her free hand clasped around her pendant and she closed her eyes, the light erupting fiercely from within, bathing the whole damned Temple and Courtyard in its brilliant, blinding warmth. It was a large dome of visible bright white light that pushed away the darkness and spread high into the sky, stretching far.

Despite the fact that there was no way he could see it, the man whispered one word, "_Incredible_."

The already weak blonde couldn't hold the light for long though and the light died away quickly as her hand dropped from the man's face as she swayed, the world tilting, darkness creeping around the edges of her vision as she was caught and thrown over his back.

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**TBC**


	85. Red Dawn

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Secret Circle**

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Whitney hadn't even blinked when Faye's own body had returned in a blink of blinding light, the girl patting herself and giving a little cry of joy to be all in one piece again. Instead, he'd turned in the direction that the blinding dome of light had appeared from in the not too far distance.

They were near.

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Chloe shot up with a cry, looking around her, disoriented, expecting to still see the Temple's courtyard and yet instead she was in a dimly lit bedroom on top of a humongous bed with what seemed like black silk sheets. She stared around the room, which was only lit by gold incense containers, purple flames emerging from them. There were drawings of Dragons, of demons and creatures, of abominations, of all sorts of monsters, of beings in mid-shift.

Pushing the sheets off of her body, Chloe turned to slip off the bed then she paused, staring down at her body. Her eyes saw red, staring at the black silk dress that adorned her body.

Someone had changed her clothes.

Narrowing her eyes, Chloe took in a deep breath, telling herself to calm down as she took in the snake bracelet made of pure gold that curled around her wrist and up her forearm to her elbow. There were boots that were made of some sort of scaly material, the girl making a face as she slipped her feet into them, looking around the room before noticing a door. She made her way towards it, pausing only once as she passed a mirror, catching a glimpse of her reflection, the blonde stopping in her tracks and backpedaling to stare at herself in shock.

Her pupils were reptilian, the whites of her eyes inky black... Just like _his_ had been. She blinked, then blinked again, trying to force her eyes to return to normal, a breath of relief escaping her lips when they did.

Resting her forehead against the glass, Chloe took in a deep breath. "I need to get out of here before anything else freaky starts happening to me."

"You will not be leaving this realm."

Chloe twirled around, slamming her back into the wall and turning to face the man from before. "And why is that?"

He stood in the shadows, stance military as he eyed her. "Because we have use for you."

"Where are the people I came with?" Chloe narrowed her eyes, a little baffled at the realization that he believed she'd stay merely because they had some sort of use for her.

"They were left to the beasts outside," he replied, as if he hadn't just left her friends to be eaten alive. "I figured I'd give them the dignity of dying with a fight."

"How noble of you." She clenched her fists, a muscle jumping in her cheek. "So we're inside the Temple?"

"Why are you not more interested in why you're of use to us?" He drew closer.

She licked her lips, tilting her head as she stared up into his eyes. The girl couldn't explain the fact that she somehow knew that her friends were alive and fine and that that made her feel level-headed, which was something she needed to be right now. She doubted he'd be able to understand it, which was understandable given the fact that she didn't understand it either.

He slammed his hands on each side of her head, his blues shifting reptilian, the whites of his eyes bleeding inky black, a scattering of black scales that had a green and purple sheen appearing on his cheekbones.

Chloe gasped as she pressed harder against the wall, feeling something within her react instinctively.

He stared down at her before grinning, a hint of fang showing. "You know how you're worried about more "freaky" things happening?" At her slow, worried nod, he motioned with his head towards the mirror next to her body.

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion before her curiosity got the best of her and she slowly turned her gaze towards it, seeing that not only had her eyes returned to that weird mixture of reptilian and inky black, but silver scales were visible on her cheekbones. Horror filled her, weighing heavily on her. "_What's happening to me_?" She turned to him, feeling close to tears. "This has never happened before. Why is this happening now?"

"Because you're here," he replied, as if this should be obvious. "You're in the birthplace of your magic, its true home." He observed her, an odd expression on his face. "It is here where you will begin to see what it truly means to have this magic in your veins."

Chloe shook her head. "If I could get here on my own, I can leave here on my own."

He smirked, shaking his head. "I doubt that."

"And why is that?" She smirked back, just to piss him off.

The door opened and a regal looking man entered, eyeing them with a raised eyebrow. "Are you tormenting her already, boy? _Really_? I know she's only a human and it's beneath you but you have made a sacrifice for our people and you will behave with the dignity that our race prides themselves on. Human or not, we don't want to run the risk that she has the same weakness our females do and misery leaves her incapable." He shook his head, turning to the wary and suspicious girl, the man pursing his lips. "I admit, I discouraged Rao's desire to cross over to your world when I first learned of his intent. Your people are like insects to us, nothing more than bugs to crush under our claws. Especially back then." The disgust was obvious in his face. "At one time your kind couldn't even talk. Grunts and groans. Disgusting."

Chloe frowned at this man, wanting to defend her "kind" and yet figuring that this was a guy she didn't want to piss off.

"And yet look how far you've gotten." The man reached out to grab her face, and while his body might be human, his hands were not. They were scaly, clawed, gripping her tightly and lifting her head roughly so he could look into her shifted eyes and glance at her scales. "Look at those eyes, boy. Couldn't tell those apart from one of ours if you didn't know better. And the scales. Silver. A unique color. I have never seen any that color. So light."

She didn't like being manhandled like this but allowed it.

When he let go, she pushed harder against the wall and eyed the two men warily.

"Why isn't she casting harbingers?" the older man wanted to know, turning to the younger man. "I was told that we were alerted to her presence because a female was spewing them unlike what we have seen in ages."

_ Harbingers? _Chloe narrowed her eyes. _Are they talking about those butterfly things that turned into monsters?_

"I was wondering that myself," the younger man announced, arms folded over his chest, eyeing Chloe as he spoke. "While she was unconscious I performed a search of her and discovered that a mutual… acquaintance… got to her and stopped the process in an attempt to hide her presence from us."

The man sneered. "The Zatara girl."

The younger man nodded. "She also bound herself by blood in service to her."

The older man looked up in surprise at that.

So did Chloe.

The older man then chuckled darkly, shaking his head, visibly displeased. "For a human, that girl was always crafty. We cannot touch her if she belongs to one of the Royals. Only the one she belongs to is allowed to do anything to her."

The younger man nodded. "The hunt is over. She is allowed to keep her life."

The older man turned his eyes on Chloe, frowning. "This displeases me. She and her people should have either been brought in as our slaves from the beginning or killed, not been allowed to run free all these years."

Chloe didn't know what to say about that. It wasn't as if she had been there this whole time. "When I go back, I'll take her with me and get her out of your scales."

He raised an eyebrow, far from appeased, his features blurring slightly before his gaze went to the man. "I hope that was an ill attempt at humor."

"I'm sure that was, Councilman Seyg," he assured with a half-bow, bringing his hand to his waist. "You must remember that Rao is the one who is behind her birth."

Councilman Seyg paused, thinking that over before nodding. "Yes, I see your point." He eyed Chloe critically before once more giving a nod. "You will have to do. Not that there's any choice in the matter. What's done is done. Welcome home, I suppose. May you grow to understand civilization." And with that, he turned, leaving them in the room alone once more.

Chloe turned to the other guy, whom she had yet to get a name from, and couldn't keep her tongue under control, lifting a finger to him, a muscle jumping in her cheek. "I don't care if he's the King Tut of this place. If he says one more disparaging thing about "my kind", I'm going to-!"

"The Councilman will say whatever he wishes to say. It's his right." The man interrupted her in mid-rant, arms clasped behind his back, stance still military and still seeming not to care what she thought about any of this. "At least you have decent eyes, not just those frail, ugly ones. I suggest you keep these eyes shifted and lock away their other form forever."

"Excuse me?" Chloe's lips parted, highly insulted.

"The human ones." He made a face. "They are... unattractive... and very disconcerting."

"_They_ are disconcerting?" Chloe barked out incredulously, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair in disbelief.

"Yes. Oval pupils? Whites in their eyes? It's _unnatural_." He made a face of disgust. "Also, human faces are quite bland, unremarkable. You should keep your colors on you considering I doubt that you can truly transform into Dragon form given the fact that you are a mere mortal born with our magic."

"My colors?" She completely ignored the whole "mere mortal" crap she'd been subjected to since she'd gotten here. And who said she wanted to become a giant lizard anyway?

"Your markings. Your scales." He motioned to the scales on her cheekbones. "They'll prove you're not one of the slaves."

There were human slaves.

Oh god.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not going to stay here," Chloe announced, unable to keep her mouth shut despite knowing that she should. It was almost as if she was speaking against her own will. "I'm going to escape, I'm going to find my friends – who are still alive – and I'm going to find a way out of this hell hole."

"No, you're not." He shook his head, once more moving towards her, slamming his hands on either side of her head, pinning her to the wall, his magic whipping around his lean, fit body, causing the tips of his black hair to ripple in the air.

Chloe narrowed her eyes, refusing to back down, to be intimidated. "Listen here, Mister-"

"_Major_, actually," he interrupted with a shit eating grin.

"_Major_," she corrected herself with a sneer. "I don't care if you and your people are goddamn _Godzilla times a hundred_ and I am Tokyo, I'm not staying here."

He blinked, looking confused at the pop culture reference and yet annoyed at her continued defiance. "You don't seem to have realized one very important detail."

"And what detail would _that_ be, Major?" she wanted to know, highly frustrated by him and just everything by now.

He raised an eyebrow before he leaned so that his body was only a breath away from hers, his lips brushing against her ear, causing a shocked shiver to jolt down her spine. "You have no idea what Rao _really_ has planned for you should you return."

Chloe, hands pressed hard against the wall, felt something odd twirling in her stomach as she curled her fingers in the wall, which was remarkably soft beneath her fingertips. The blonde licked her lips, chest rising and falling as she stared ahead of her, surprisingly shaken by this whole situation, which annoyed the _hell_ out of her, especially considering the fact that he wasn't even _touching_ her! And damn it! She was the one with the power to Enthrall! _Her_! Some annoying asshole, who was _really_ some huge reptile, shouldn't be able to have her reacting like this! No! Especially not when all she wanted to do was punch him! She-

The girl's eyes widened and she could have palmed her face in disgust at the level of her stupidity.

"So is this the part where you tell me he's going to try and kill me and/or just basically try and turn me against him so I'll be grateful to you guys for kidnapping me and keeping me safe?" Chloe asked, taking in a deep breath, building herself up for what she was going to have to do.

"No." He shook his head, pulling his head back enough to look her in the face. "This is the part where I tell you that you're not the only one over on your side that has magic from this side in their veins."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock. "_What_?"

He smirked, reaching out to brush a blonde tendril of hair out of her face. "Let's say I used to know Rao very well and I could tell you a _lot_ about what he had planned for you."

Chloe frowned, staring up at him. "Why?"

"Because it doesn't matter anymore," he replied with a shrug. "You're not leaving. He'll have to start all over again." He tilted his head with a thought. "Or he could always come back and retrieve you himself. I'm sure he'll try to when you don't return in a couple of days but by then, it'll be too late and he'll be thwarted."

Chloe didn't know what to think as she stared at him. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"The first time Rao left our world, I was still considered a hatchling," he declared, surprising her by deciding to share. "Do you know how he did this?"

"I don't know." She raised an eyebrow, not that comfortable being pinned to the wall, a mere breath between his body and hers, his forearms pressed on the wall on either side of her head as his eyes and face shifted to their more human form. "I suppose he somehow found a way to talk to the Six Original Witches in my world and offered them something in return for… something."

He stared at her before shaking his head. "You still don't get it."

"Don't get what?" She glared at him.

He leaned in closely once more, voice lowered as he whispered a truth that rocked her to her foundations. "Before Rao, there _were_ no witches."

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Rao sat on his throne, six screens in the air playing images of destruction as his forces launched simultaneous attacks on the Six Houses. Granny stood at his right hand and Desaad on his left, both silent as they watched the Omega-clad warriors, both witches and humans alike, fall upon their unprepared prey. It was why they'd moved all the pieces, so that they could attack in unison, cutting the Six off from each other, making them even weaker as they kept them from being able to band together and fight. Instead, Rao's forces ripped through their defenses like paper, the man on the throne smirking as his eyes turned Reptilian, betraying his true nature.

On one screen, the House of Le Fay was all but destroyed; the large city block that belonged solely to the Le Fay family was completely ablaze. Screams could be heard and blood ran down the streets – it was the only thing putting out the fires anymore.

On another screen, the House of Sigan struggled to hold on, the isolated mountain city they'd built left them far away from any ally that could have come to their rescue and, while the mountain behind the city kept anyone from circling, it also kept them from being able to escape as well. Rao's men dislodged large boulders from high above the mountain and hurtled them down upon the city and its inhabitants.

On the next screen, the House of Wylt was putting up quite the fight, used to the near sub-zero temperatures of their home, and yet even with these sorts of advantages, they couldn't hold out against the brutality and numbers of Rao's army. Where one or two of those clad with the Omega symbol might fall, there were six more to take their place, who didn't stop to mourn their fallen brethren, who didn't care about the freezing weather because they _burned_ with the fervor of their mission.

On another screen, the House of Tentagel crumbled. News from Rao's spies was that, only hours ago, the Patriarch had returned to the House and had been there during the attack. He hadn't been able to hold his House though, the Tentagel House being the first of the Six to fall, and Rao had felt when the leader's life had been taken from him, had _felt_ when the heir's life had been taken, and then another heir, and then another. With each death, he could feel the power returning to him, and his smirk grew. He didn't know if the Tentagel line was truly finished, but it had been dealt a horrible blow this day.

On another screen, the House of Luthor was gone. The mansion in Scotland was completely decimated, most of the clan completely annihilated, only a handful alive and unaccounted for. Those unaccounted for mainly consisted of Lionel's Circle, his Firstborn's Circle, and part of his Secondborn's Circle.

On the last screen, the House of Balcoin, if it could _truly_ be considered a "House" since it was really a _house_… Well, it hadn't really stood a chance. Just like with the other Five, Smallville was caught up with the destruction, with the frenzy of the attack, with the madness and destruction, human beings brought into a fight that wasn't their own.

Rao's lips curled in a smirk.

He'd waited for this day for _too long_.

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When the attacks had started, he thought it was some sort of Red Dawn shit happening. And then Van realized that it wasn't another country invading them. Or even if it was, it wasn't just normal humans attacking (even though, yes, there _were_ normal humans amongst them) but most of these people were, for lack of a better word, _freaks_. They could do magic. He wanted to say witch but then he'd have to really go back and think about all the things that had happened over the last couple of months, especially with Chloe and her family, and he really didn't know if he could handle the whole Teen Witch thing. Teen Wolf? For some reason, he could have gotten his head around that _much_ better than witchcraft.

Van had always worried about his father off in hostile countries keeping the peace, and yet he found himself in a true battlefield, and while his father had taught him to fight and use weapons, he didn't have the abilities their attackers had. Still, if you caught them off-guard, a bullet to the head (or any other body part) affected them, so Van figured they weren't _hopeless_. So when two of those assholes attacked his house, he was ready for them, blowing them full of buckshot, the dudes not seeing it coming. He'd slung his bag full of weapons over his shoulder, wearing the Kevlar vest (his shaking mom wearing one as well) and he'd led her out of there, the both of them using their riot shields, finally forced out of the relative safety of their house and into the madness of Smallville under attack.

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"_Brent_!" Trent yelled, eyes wide as the boy who'd always tagged along and annoyed the hell out of him, and yet had always been a friend, fell to the ground a couple of hundred yards away, a large hole in his chest.

"We have to keep going!" Lucas grunted under Mikhail's weight, hissing a spell and flinging a hand out towards a curse zinging towards them, returning it to its caster. "_Trent_! We will mourn him later but I need you to help me _now_!"

The usually stoic boy was obviously finding it hard to get his emotions under control as he nodded, returning to helping Lucas drag the injured and unconscious Mikhail through the battleground.

In front of them, Clark Kent and his parents tried clearing the way for them, though to where, they didn't know. They'd made sure to find Greg's mother and Whitney's parents, even Nell, adding them to the group and making sure that they were safe together as they tried to figure out what to do and where to go, especially now that they had so many injured. Adam and Jake were dragging Pete similarly to the way Trent and Lucas had Mikhail. Obviously Balcoins were being especially targeted during this battle. So far Byron was the only one who was only mildly injured, and he was helping the others to provide cover and protection to those who were carrying the wounded. The Lost Boys were taking a serious hit and Lucas had lost sight of most of them, Brent having been their latest casualty that he'd seen, and yet he was sure to be far from their last for the night. So far, the only ones that had managed to keep in the group were Trent, Brendan and Grant… and Grant had a dislocated shoulder that no one had the time to put back into place considering they were all running for their lives at the moment.

Lucas closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

The whole town was surrounded, these mercenaries after their blood were like ants and when they killed one, six more seemed to appear out of nowhere to take their place. It was only a matter of time before they were all dead.

Beneath them, the Balcoin symbol in the main cavern in the Bleeding Cave began to slowly, faintly, glow in the darkness.

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"Those six humans that released Rao did so by blood sacrifice," her captor informed her. "Rao whispered in Vika's ears, for some reason enamored with that human woman. There are ways, when one is powerful enough and from the purest bloodlines, to see through the veils that separate the dimension. He'd been watching her for a very long time before merely watching her wasn't enough and Rao began to manipulate things as much as he could from this side. It was a scandal back in the day, I've been told. Why would he want some _human_ when he could have any Royal he wanted?" The Major eyed Chloe before continuing. "There's always been a weakness in the veil between our worlds at certain intervals and he used those times to commune with her in dreams, appearing to her in visions, and convinced her and five others to release him. He told them of the power he could give them, and taught them the blood rituals they would have to perform to release him; a ritual which culminated in the Six drinking of a mixture of his and their blood once he'd successfully crossed over, allowing them to receive the powers he'd crafted from the creatures you've seen here."

Chloe stared up at him in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing, and yet why would he lie to her? "That's why none of the other Five's leaders' True Reflections are Dragons. They've taken on the closest earthly version of whatever monstrous creature from over here their magic originated from… since only Royals… only _Dragons_… can shift into humans." She then frowned. "Tentagel is a komodo. That's still lizardy."

The Major eyed her thoughtfully, obviously not recognizing the word "komodo". "If it was a reptile, the unlucky donor of that magic could have been one of our very distant, much less evolved and less powerful cousins, such as the Fire Salamander or the Amphisbaena or the Piast. We have many distant relatives who never lived up to the Dragons in any way or form."

"Unlucky donor?" Chloe's eyebrows nearly touched in a frown.

He chuckled darkly. "We are not _all_ powerful. When he gave them power when they had none, he had to kill a magical being to strip it bare and steal it's magical life force to give to the humans. It would have been different had the humans already had magic, but they didn't, so Six creatures had to die so Witches, a new race, could be born. It's a very slow, very painful process. You have to make sure to suck _every bit_ of it out of them. Sometimes the process lasts for days. All the while, the victim is alive and in immense pain." He shook his head when he noticed her horrified expression. "There's a _reason_ this caused a scandal."

Chloe's lips parted. "If it was such a big deal, why didn't anyone stop him? Why didn't _you_?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Again, I was a merely _hatchling_ during these events. Also, you don't seem to realize how high up on the totem pole Rao truly is. He's one of the Oldest Bloodlines; we respect that." He paused, eyeing her. "But when he was sent back, something changed in him, or that's what I was told, because that was the Rao I grew to know."

Chloe's eyes widened, mentally kicking herself for not realizing it sooner. This guy would have firsthand knowledge about Rao and about the inner machinations of that man's... errr… Dragon's, mind.

"While I couldn't understand why he'd _want_ to go back to your world when he could stay in ours and live amongst our people, personally, I found him brilliant. True, I was a mere boy at the time, highly impressionable, I've been told… repeatedly." He pushed away finally, clasping his hands behind his back, military in his stance once more. He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "I followed your father around like a puppy eager to serve. When I found out that he was using the thinning of the veil to speak with the new leader of the Balcoin witches on your side, I stayed quiet even though I knew the elders didn't want Rao leaving this realm once more. Not with how important his purity, his ancestry, both in blood and magic, meant for our race." He cleared his throat. "And yet I stayed quiet and I stood by his side as he used what he called Samhain, when the veil was at its thinnest, to cement the pact between him and Francis Balcoin. He crafted a new magic for him, a strong magic, by killing a cousin that had evolved closer to us in many ways, the Wyvern. This was a different killing due to this fact but he killed it for this reason as well because he needed to add a hint of his own magic, and he'd needed a magic close enough to our own to use as an incubator." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "In exchange for a Balcoin girl of his choosing, he gave a _human _not only magic _so similar_ to our own, but he added a drop of _our_ magic as well!"

Chloe could see the anger in those blues.

"Do you understand?" he asked in a hiss. "_You_ are the reason he did everything."

"Don't blame me." Chloe narrowed her eyes, stabbing her finger at his chest. "I wasn't even a gleam my parent's eyes."

In the flash of an eye, his hand reached out and clasped around her finger, the purple flames flickering blue for a second. "Yes, you _were_."

Chloe didn't know what to say about that, pulling her finger free from his grip. "So you stopped following him around after that then."

He looked away, returning to clasping his hands behind his back. "No." He licked his lips. "I did not. Your father, he is a very charismatic person who draws you into his cause and convinces you that the ends justifies the means, even if you're not too sure you support his reasons."

Chloe's lips parted when suddenly her temple began to throb hard and she brought her hand to it, giving a little groan. Her right hand was burning too. She ignored it though, as well as the Major's question, eyes widening as she realized that, over his shoulder, on the opposite wall, she could see the Balcoin symbol flickering faintly.

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"The fuck is going _on__,_ man?" Van snapped, moving the barrel of his shotgun away from Clark's chest. His plan had been to get him and his mother to someplace hidden and to stay that way until this all blew over, but then they'd run into Tina and Justin, Deputy Gary Watts, as well as a couple of Whitney's old football buddies: Trevor, Bradley, Dan, Nathan, Hank and Caleb. They also had their families with them, a couple of them were injured. With a group this big, there was no way they could hide, not for long. It was why Van had felt relief after the stab of fear when they'd turned the corner and come upon the other group, even though they didn't seem to be much better off than they were.

"We're being attacked," Lana announced, reaching her hand into the air. "Light I beseech thee, heat and shoot forth!" She flung her hand out, lightning shooting out at the attackers around them, buying them some time. "We need to find a safe place, now!"

"There's no place that can hold this many people and also keep us all safe from attack," a guy Van didn't know pointed out, bending to his knees and slamming his fists into the ground. "Ground, breathe a sigh!"

The earth around the soldiers began puffing out dirt, blinding them and giving the group, giving anyone trying to escape, precious time to do so.

"What about the Caves?" Van asked, his mouth moving without him even knowing what he was talking about.

Everyone turned to him in confusion and wariness.

"How do you know about the Caves?" One of the guys Van didn't know pointed his palm towards him threateningly as he came forwards, his other arm dislocated. "Are you one of them? Is this a trap? I-!"

Van raised his shotgun and aimed it at the guy. "Put your palm down dude or I'll fucking shoot it off. I don't know what Caves I was talking about but-" And then he felt it again, that weird feeling, the boy frowning as he dropped the shotgun and gripped at his head. "What's… happening…?" And then suddenly he could feel his eyes tickling as he opened them.

"_Jesus_," Dan hissed.

"_Van_?" his mother whispered.

"I knew it!" the guy hissed, keeping his palm pointed at Van.

"This is like in that show." Caleb crossed himself. "His eyes just bled black!"

Justin blinked. "_Cool_."

Tina eyed him in shock before elbowing him, hard.

He cleared his throat, straightening. "Uh, I mean, ewww."

"Grant, put the palm down or I'm not going to forgive you again, even though you brought my sister to me." Van had no idea what he was saying, but it had the guy with the palm freezing, everyone else from Clark's group staring at him in a completely different way now.

Grant slowly lowered his hand, obeying.

Byron pushed past Lana, knocking her a little out of the way. "_Chloe_?"

Van turned to Byron in confusion, about to ask him what Chloe to do with any of this. "Get to the caves." Van's eyes widened. What the _hell_? "Why hasn't someone even _considered_ them as an option?"

"They're gone. Destroyed," some blonde dude announced, helping another dude shoulder an unconscious Pete. "They collapsed on themselves, the entrance is completely blocked. We couldn't get in even if we wanted to."

Byron reached into a bag Lana was carrying and pulled out the remains of an old leather book, which was half burnt. "The BoS didn't fair too well either."

What the hell were they talking about? Caves? BoS? "Pete's the First, that's ridiculous. Get to the Caves, these people need protection and that's the only place you'll find it."

"But Chloe-" the tall guy helping Lucas with Mikhail began.

"Trent, you all need to get to the Caves." Van was getting a little freaked by now considering he did not know these people's names. "I'm sorry for just hijacking you like this, Van. Though, to be honest, I didn't realize I could do this with you either until right this instant. I have to go, he's realizing I'm not paying attention to him and I have to escape. Get to the Caves. You'll be safe there. Just _get_ to them."

And then he could speak for himself again.

Van looked around at everyone as he blinked, hand on his head, the black bleeding out of his eyes. "The _hell_ just happened?"

"That's not important right now," Mr Fordman announced, eyeing their surroundings, a pump-action shotgun in his hand. "If the girl says we need to get to those damned Caves – we need to get to those damned Caves."

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**TBC**


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